Le Lapin le plus rose
by Odango Atama
Summary: Chibi Usa arrives in the Dark Kingdom arc instead of the Black Moon arc and brings Usagi and Mamoru closer without knowing they're her parents! UM fic based on the Live Action Sailormoon!
1. A walk in the rain

**Le Lapin Le Plus Rose (The Pinkest Bunny)**  
Written by: Neeko

An Usagi/Mamoru first season romance, with a twist. I decided to take the Black Moon Arc and smoosh it into the Dark Kingdom arc. Chibi Usa goes to the past like planned, but arrives a year too early, and ends up where Usagi and Mamoru aren't even together! She brings the two closer together without even knowing that they are her parents! Of course, Prince Demand figures this out the fact that his Neo Queen Serenity has not been matched up with her future husband, and uses this to his advantage. The plot thickens when the Black Moon Clan collides with the Dark Kingdom, and utter utter mayhem!

This fanfic is based on the Live Action version of Sailormoon, aka, Pretty Guardian Sailormoon. It takes place after Act 7, where Mamoru has figured out Usagi's identity. If you haven't seen PGSM, I suggest you do before reading this fanfic, because although you may get some things, a lot of other things may confuse you. I wanted to base it on the LA version because I'm more familiar with it than the manga. However, since PGSM is not finished, the whole deal with the Black Moon Clan will be based mostly on the manga. Yes, that is why Usagi and Chibi Usa's hair is BLACK, and Mamoru's is BROWN. Because that's what it is in the Pretty Guardian Sailormoon show, which is what the fanfic is based on. I thought I had made myself clear about it, but I guess people missed it.

Kobuta means "Little pig". It was what Mamoru called Usagi when reading her name.

Thanks sjpl for letting me know about the whole car thing. I've changed the fact that Mamoru has a car to a bike, because in this fanfic Mamoru is 17, and Usagi is 14.

----  
Chapter 1: A Walk in the Rain  
----

"You're kidding. You've got to be kidding me."

"What? What's wrong?"

"This. This is what's wrong. You actually expect me to wear this?"

"What's wrong with it? I wear it everyday, and I think it looks fine."

Chiba Mamoru stared down at the red apron that his friend Furuhata Motoki handed to him. Looking up at Motoki, then down at the apron, then back at Motoki, he said, "I don't mind the red apron." Grabbing it in his hand, Mamoru turned it over and threw it back at him. "But why does there have to be a huge turtle on the front?!" Motoki looked down at the bright and sparkly green turtle and smiled.

Disappointed at Mamoru's lack of interest in the turtles, Motoki held the sacred apron close to him. "Because turtles are cute!" Motoki reasoned. Mamoru folded his arms and shook his head. "Besides, Kamekichi-kun would love it. Wouldn't you Kamekichi-kun?" he asked his turtle, who did nothing but mope about in his fish tank. "Now put it on and stop complaining. You promised me you'd do this for me, remember?"

"Just give me a normal apron, please." Mamoru pleaded. How did he even get himself into this mess? 'Oh, I remember how that conversation went. 'Hey Mamoru? Remember when I got my mom to sew your Tuxedo? Well, I have a favour to ask you.' 'Sure, Motoki!' Is what I said. Sure, anything you want, ol' friend.'' Little did he know, Motoki meant for him to help him out at the Crown Karaoke. All that there was to do for him was stand there, monitor the booth machines, write down hours and watch Motoki talk to his turtle like some crazy lunatic.

Mamoru rolled his eyes as Motoki gently placed the apron on him. He smiled proudly, and patted his shoulder. "Now Mamoru, I'll show you how to record the times and prices. See, every time a customer comes in, you tally the hours here, and..." Completely zoning his friend out, Mamoru placed his weary chin in his palm and stared down at the chart in front of him. This made it official. He was Motoki's bitch. He looked down at his sparkly green turtle on his chest and rolled his eyes. 'This was going to be a long day.'

"You better go write this down. Could be too much to remember. Do you have a pen?" he asked. Mamoru dug his hand into his jacket pocket to pull out a pen, but instead he got something else.

A pink and white heart filled handkerchief.

[ "Tuxedo Kamen, wait!"

He spun around at the call of his name, cape fluttering behind him. His eyes widened behind his white mask as Sailormoon ran towards him. She looked down when she was close enough to him, trying to hide the blush that was desperately trying to escape. She grabbed his wrist, and held it up. Pulling out a pink handkerchief from her pocket, she carefully tied it around the wound on his hand that he got from trying to save her.

He smiled sweetly at her. "Thank you."

Again, with the flustered look. Sailormoon looked to the side, and smiled. "No, it's fine. You got hurt because of me, and I'm sorry." To his surprise, she turned her head and looked him straight in the eye. "Can I ask you something? Why do you always save me?"

Not knowing the answer himself, Tuxedo Kamen turned away. "Good question," he replied. "I don't even know, myself..." ]

Why did he always save her? Mamoru didn't know why. It was like a calling. Something drew him towards her. Something inside of him wanted to save her, wanted to protect her, wanted to make sure she was alright. Make sure she was happy, and smiling. 'I don't even know who she is... and I want to protect her?' He thought to himself.

He remembered the feeling of her gloved hands wrapping the handkerchief around his hand. He watched her with the most amused look on his face. Such a delicate creature, spending her time and effort to make sure he was okay. How odd, that after she placed the handkerchief on, the pain that jabbed at his hand seemed to disappear. The look on her face when he smiled at her made him feel strange inside. He wanted to see her smile more...

"Did you get a pen?" Motoki asked. Mamoru shook his head out of his daze. "Hey, what's that?"

"This?" Without even showing it to the turtle loving freak, he placed it back into his pocket. "Just something I found." Not catching the suspicious look his friend just gave him, Mamoru pointed down at the chart. "So, I put the times there?"

Cutting Motoki off, the automatic entrance doors opened with a warming shwooom. Mamoru didn't even bother to look up, but for Motoki, it was an instinct. Before Motoki could even say a word, the person who walked through did it for him. "Ehhh?! Why are YOU here?!"

The familiar voice rang through his mind, and Mamoru's eyes looked up and widened.

"Hey, Usagi-chan!" Motoki greeted. "You remember my friend Chiba Mamoru, ne?"

Mamoru looked up again, his eyes locking in with the raven haired odango girl, remembering their last encounter.

[ Eyes narrowing into tiny slits at the taller chestnut haired man, Usagi protested. "You left Mako-chan? That's so low to leave a girl alone like that!"

Mamoru glared at her with equal anger. "I'd rather do that then abandon the guy I like."

Knowing he had struck a nerve, Usagi's eyes widened with surprise. "What?! That's NONE of your business!" With that, she turned away, and Mamoru's hand instantly shot out to grab her and stop her from leaving. Holding onto the cotton handkerchief, he hesitated, knowing that if one of them let go of it accidentally, they'd be lost forever in this maze. Instead, he reached up and grabbed her by the wrist.

"What are you doing?!" she asked. Her voice wavered, as if she was confused.

"I can't stand to be separated again..." And with that, he turned around and gently dragged her through the maze, trying to find the exit. ]

He remembered the look on her face when he grabbed her hand. A mix of confusion with excitement, which was exactly what he was feeling. He was definitely not expecting that electrical shock when he grabbed her hand, and he sure as hell wasn't expecting that feeling in the gut of his stomach when he touched her. Not to mention his heart was beating like crazy. How could a person like her bring out all these sensations? He frowned. This was Tsukino Usagi. She was a stupid, annoying, bratty, childish girl, and....

[ Somehow managing to lose her grasp, Mamoru looked around desperately for her. "Oi! Kobuta! Where are you?" He rounded the corner, and a relieved smile placed upon his face when he saw her. Running up towards her, he was disappointed when it was only a reflection. "Kobuta! Where are you?"

"Moon Prism Power, Make up!"

Hearing that phrase, Mamoru's eyes grew huge when he watched as in a flash of pink and red ribbons, the Pretty Suited Sailor Soldier, Sailormoon took the place of Usagi. 'It can't be... she's... she's...' ]

...Sailormoon. He would never forget the moment he saw her transform. His entire vision of the annoying rabbit changed. Sailormoon, the strong soldier of the moon, was also Tsukino Usagi? No longer was she annoying, bratty and childish. He didn't know what she was anymore, but it definitely wasn't one of those qualities. Both of these women who could make his heart go pitter patter at the speed of a freight train, were actually the same person? It was confusing. His view of Usagi was changing entirely, into which direction, he was afraid to find out.

He took a quick glance at Motoki, whose mouth couldn't be any more open. The boy was in love. Ever since that time at the amusement park, he had fallen in love with her. It seemed like Usagi was interested in him too, but after that day, she blew him off completely. That was another reason why he was afraid to find out what those feelings were. Motoki was his best friend. If those feelings were what he thought they were.. he couldn't do that to his best friend. He couldn't...

Her eyes drew him in. He couldn't look away. It was like staring into two endless oceans. Her expression was unreadable. It was like she was as confused as he was. With all his will power, Mamoru looked back down at the chart, trying to calm his rapidly beating heart.

"Mamoru's helping me out since he owed me a favour." Motoki replied.

Sighing, Mamoru tried to appear bored, and wanting her to leave so he wouldn't have to deal with these confusing feelings. "How many hours would you like to stay?" he asked, not even bothering to look up at her.

"Usagi gets in free because of her one-year pass. Same with her friends, so don't worry about them. Ne, Usagi-chan?" Motoki explained, while smiling at her. Mamoru stole another glance at the rabbit, just in time to catch the glance she took at him. Knowing she had been caught, she looked at Motoki and smiled.

"I'm going to go in now! Bye!"

"Bye, Usagi-chan! Come call me if you need any--" But Usagi was gone the moment she said bye. Mamoru frowned at his friend and shook his head. Tapping the eraser edge of the pencil on the counter, he looked up at Motoki and gave him a sly grin. Motoki looked down at him, catching his sly grin. "What?" he asked, looking away, trying to hide the blush creeping up on his cheeks.

"You like her, don't you?" Motoki's mouth fell open as he stared at Mamoru in shock and disbelief. "I know you do. Don't bother denying it. Any fool could see that you like her."

Folding his arms, Motoki looked away again. "So what if I do? She's not interested, anymore, at least. I thought maybe I had a chance with her, but it seems like she changed her mind."

'So the guy isn't as dumb as I thought.' Still grinning, Mamoru focused on the sheet in front of him. "Ahh, really? I thought she was interested in you too." Somewhere in Mamoru's heart, he was feeling happy. He didn't know why, but he knew he did, and it was wrong. "I wish you the best, Motoki."

"Do you really?" he asked, voice becoming cold. Mamoru looked at him and gave him a puzzled look.

"What are you talking about?" he asked. Motoki glanced at him once, and shook his head.

"Nothing." Mamoru looked at his friend and sighed. Maybe Motoki knew more about this situation then he did...

----

[ doki, doki, doki, doki... ]

Closing the secret door to their hideout below the karaoke building, Usagi clutched her chest, and began to breathe heavily. Her heart was beating like there was no tomorrow! 'It's all because of that stupid Mamoru-jerk.' Why would her heart beat a million times in one second over a heartless guy like him? A thorn in her side since the moment they first met. He was the rudest guy she had ever met. Insulting her the moment he laid his eyes on her!

She began to blush when she recalled that time in the amusement park. When he grabbed her hand, her heart began to beat so incredibly fast. She was surprised at this feeling, which is what she felt when she was around Tuxedo Kamen. Biting down on her lip, Usagi mentally groaned and pulled at her hair. 'Why does this have to be so confusing?!?!?!' She screamed at herself. 'That jerk is supposed to be someone I hate, not giving me mixed feelings and making my heart beat so fast!'

"Enough!" she exclaimed, storming down the stairs, to the white table in the middle of the room. Luna poked her head out from the book she was reading, and tilted her head.

"What's wrong, Usagi-chan?"

"Him! That's the problem. Acting all arrogant, and cocky! What's his problem, anyways? Why does he have to be such a jerk?!" Usagi ranted, pulling out a chair roughly and plopping herself down. 'Why'd he have to make me feel that way? And why does he have to be so damn good looking?!!' She asked herself, throwing her chin onto her palm. She thought Mamoru was so cute when she first met him, but the moment those words came out of his mouth, an undying hatred for him began to grow at the pit of her stomach.

Luna eyed her suspiciously. "Who?"

"Chi-ba Ma-mo-ru. Stupid jerk. Too bad I can't use my powers on him. I'd make him disappear from this world forever! Hah!" She imagined herself as Sailormoon, throwing her tiara at him, and watching it bind around him, throwing him to the floor, unable to get out. Snickering to herself, Usagi glanced at Luna who was shaking her head. "Whaaat?"

"Nothing."

The cat was a horrible liar. Usagi squinted at her suspiciously. "Luna..."

"Well..." Luna started. "It's just... it's so painfully obvious you're attracted to this guy! You're just using these 'hatred' feelings as an excuse," Luna replied. The moment that last word escaped her lips, she felt herself being catapulted off the table. Usagi slammed her hands onto the top of the table a bit too hard, toppling the table over, throwing Luna off.

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!?!" Usagi screeched. "ME?! Like... like... him?! That stupid, heartless, mean, arrogant, jerk of all jerks, who should be locked away in the farthest oceans for all eternity?!" She grabbed Luna as she was trying to get back up on the table, and began to shake the helpless plushy. "You're KIDDING, right?!! RIGHT?!"

"HAI, HAI!" Luna screamed at her. Usagi released her, and dropped her on the table. Rubbing her dizzy head, Luna glared at Usagi. "Don't get worked up if it isn't true."

"It's NOT!" She shot back. It couldn't be. Her, in love with Chiba Mamoru? That was impossible. It couldn't be done. There was no way in hell. Sure she had these doki doki moments, and sure when she looked into his eyes she felt so warm, and happy, and sure he was gorgeous as hell, and sure sometimes he could be sweet, but that did NOT mean she was in love with him. Or liking. Or of the sort. None. Nope. Nadda.

"Hai, hai. Anyways Usagi-chan, I'm going to go look around and get some information. Are you going home?" The plushie asked, hopping off the table. Usagi shook her head, and pulled her bag onto the table.

"No way. Not with that jerk out there. I'll do my homework here until he leaves." Usagi looked at Luna and caught that sly grin she gave her. Glaring at her, Usagi threw her jacket at the feline, who jumped out of the way and left. "Stupid cat. Go and lose your stuffing, or something," Usagi muttered to herself. The nerve of that cat! She was as worse as Mamoru...

Pulling on her hair again, she screamed. 'Stop thinking of him!!!'

Grabbing her English notebook from her bag, she threw it in front of her and opened it. Staring down at the words, Usagi squinted at all the English letters. "Teiku... atto..." Scratching her head, she made another attempt to concentrate on the oh so difficult world of English, but no success. Dropping her head to the table, Usagi whimpered. "Mouu.. why does English have to be so hard?" Shaking her head, she tossed her English aside. "Who needs English? Like I'll ever go to America! Let's see, what else... science! Gotta love science!"

Getting her textbook out of her bag, she opened it to the chapter they were on, and stared down at the words in front of her. "The Periodic Table is organized by the number of protons each element has..." Squinting at a few unreadable Kanji, Usagi skipped to the next lines and continued. Realizing that there were a lot of unreadable kanji, Usagi sighed. "This is pointless." Geting up from her seat, Usagi made her way towards the couch. "Who needs studying? I think a good nap will refresh me! Maybe it'll bring down this anger a notch..." Usagi plopped herself onto it, and laid back on the comfortable cushions. "Yeah, this is what I need, a good nice sleep."

Usagi closed her eyes and awaited the sleep to take over her. Hopefully when she woke up Mamoru wouldn't be up there...

---

"Mamoru, I have to leave early. Is it okay if you clean up and lock the place up?" Motoki asked, looking at his friend. Mamoru hesitated, wondering if he wanted to stay and do that. Remembering that this was an owed favour to him, Mamoru unwillingly agreed. "Thanks. If Usagi-chan is still here, make sure she has someone to pick her up, okay?"

Although he tried not to look surprised, Mamoru was filled with alarm. "You didn't see her leave?" he asked as calmly as he could.

"Well, she's not in any of the rooms, so I thought maybe she went home when we weren't looking. Just make sure, okay?" Mamoru nodded at him, and Motoki smiled back. "Thanks Mamoru. I can always depend on you. See you tomorrow!" With Kamekichi in a safe box under his arm, he made his way towards the automatic doors. "Damn, it's raining hard. Make sure you bring an umbrella. There's one in the back." With a small wave, Motoki placed on his hood, and ran out the door.

Mamoru sighed, the ill silence creeping him out. No one was interested in some late karaoke? Looking at the clock, he frowned when it said 10PM. '30 minutes until closing.' He found it odd that Usagi still hadn't left. He had been watching the entrance all day, and there was no way she could have left. 'Maybe she's avoiding me?' Why would he care, anyways? 'She can avoid me all she wants. I don't care....' He told himself.

"Kobuta-chan..." he whispered, smirking at the little nickname he had given her that day. Peering down the halls of the karaoke booths, he frowned. 'Are you still in there?'

Returning back to his homework, Mamoru mindlessly began to answer the questions on his sheet. After 5 minutes of dead silence, Mamoru jumped when a high pitched scream attacked his ears. He looked up only in time to see Usagi running through the halls, with the most alarmed and scared face. When she ran up to the counter, Mamoru reached over and grabbed her by the wrist. "Oi! Daijoubou ka?"

His answer was a slap to the face.

"Omigosh!!! Mamoru-baka! I'm so sorry!!" Usagi gasped, putting a hand to her mouth. She actually slapped Mamoru!! It felt good... but she didn't mean to! Placing a hand on his cheek, Mamoru rubbed it as an awful pain surged through his right cheek.

"What the hell was that for?!! Don't call me 'Mamoru-baka' after you slapped me like that."

"Gomen, you just startled me." She reached out and gently wrapped her fingers around his wrist, pulling it away from his face. She squinted at the red mark on his face and frowned. "Is it bad?"

Trying to ignore the tingly feelings he was feeling on his wrist, he tried answer her question. "N-n-no..." He spat out. 'Damnit Mamoru, pull yourself together.' Yanking his wrist away, Mamoru looked down and sighed. "It'll be fine. Be careful next time, Kobuta."

Glaring at him, she was about to dignify that with a witty response, but after what she had just did, she let it slide. "Usagi," she corrected, as nicely as she could. Mamoru stole another glance at her, and rolled his eyes at her.

"Whatever. It doesn't matter to me. What were you doing in there, anyways? I couldn't even hear the music."

Usagi flinched slightly at the question. 'The truth is: I fell asleep in a secret room underneath that you don't know about. The one year pass? Fake. Don't know how Motoki fell for it since he practically OWNS this place, but still...' Coughing, Usagi spun around, hoping to hide the lies that escaped out her face. "Well, I fell asleep. My friend was supposed to come, but guess she didn't show up!" Turning back around, she gave him a smile. "Anyways, I'm going to go. Sorry about the slap!"

Before she even got past three steps, Mamoru grabbed her wrist again. Usagi closed her eyes and soaked in the feeling of his warm hand around her wrist. Shaking her head, she screamed at herself, 'No! No good feelings, bad feelings. Bad, icky feelings.' Letting go of her wrist, much to her disappoint, Usagi turned around and looked at him. "What?"

Motioning his head towards the door, Mamoru looked at her puzzlingly. "How do you intend to go home? Look outside Kobuta. It's raining. And I think I hear thunder. There's no way I'm going to let you go home in that." Usagi gulped, a warm sensation flushing across her cheeks.

'He's worried about me?'

Mamoru's eyes met hers for a moment before he looked away. "Because Motoki would kill me if I let you do that," he fibbed, and looked down at his sheets. "Just wait half an hour and I'll walk you home."

A little disappointed at what he said before, Usagi placed a hand on her hip. "And how do YOU intend to get home?"

Shrugging, Mamoru didn't even look up at her. "Normally I'd ride home, but I came here with Motoki. I'll just bus home."

"Why can't I just bus home?" Somehow the thought of him knowing where she lived was somewhat frightening. A little exciting, though. 'No, no exciting!' She argued with herself.

"Because, Kobuta, do you know how to bus home?" he asked. Usagi remained silent, and looked away. "Phone your parents and say you'll be home soon," he suggested. Why was he offering to do this, anyways? It was worse enough that she was confusing the hell out of him, but he couldn't just let her go home alone. Sailormoon or not, he still had this urge to protect her. Maybe it was the Tuxedo Kamen inside of him, but somewhere he didn't want anything to happen to her.

Usagi sighed, and held out her hand. Mamoru looked up at her confused. "Phone." She ordered. Mamoru grabbed the phone, and handed it to her. Since the phone was too far to dial, Usagi leaned over the counter, closer to Mamoru. He could feel the warmth of her body mixing with his. He stared down at her face, mesmerized by every detail. The way her jaw line was shaped, how small her nose was, just how pretty her eyes were... While dialing, Usagi's eyes met with his, and soon she found herself trapped in his gaze. There was no way out.

There were so many things he could do, he surprisingly wanted to do, but he couldn't. It wasn't right. This was Usagi! Annoying girl. And Sailormoon. And someone who he just wanted to hold in his arms and--

He shook his head, and backed away. Things were so much more simpler when they argued. "I'm gonna clean up. We'll leave at 10:30, Kobuta."

Still not recovered from the heat of the moment, Usagi coughed and looked away. "U-Sa-Gi! Get it right, jerk."

Mamoru turned away and smirked to himself. Yeah. Things were so much easier like this.

---

After the last minute touches, Mamoru locked the doors to the Crown Karaoke. Pulling out the umbrella from under his arm, he opened it and sweat dropped. Who would have thought the umbrella Motoki left him was an umbrella covered with turtles? Shaking his head, he held the umbrella partly over his head. "Well?"

Usagi hesitated. Was it really safe to be so close to him? Part of her wanted to find out, but the other just wanted to run away and never come back. Swallowing the last of her fears, she stepped up towards him, and went under the umbrella. "Motoki's?" She asked, a little amused. Mamoru shrugged.

"Guess so. Lead the way, Kobuta."

"U-Sa-Gi! Get it right, baka."

Stepping away from the covering of the building, Mamoru and Usagi began to walk side by side, huddling close together since the umbrella was so small. The feeling of her warmth was like a drug to him. Slowly intoxicating him, and urging him to want more of it. 'How are you doing this to me, little piggy?' He found himself staring at her for the longest time, until she looked back up at him. Looking away, Mamoru glanced at his other side and sighed. "It's raining pretty hard. I'm still getting wet."

"Y'know, I don't know if I feel comfortable with you knowing where I live. I hardly enough know you." Usagi stated. Mamoru turned his head back at her, eyes narrowing.

"What am I going to do? Stalk you? Why would I waste my time doing that? I hardly think you're stalking material."

Somewhat offended by that weird comment, Usagi glared back at him, deliberately pulling on the umbrella to cover her more. "I'm stalking material! I have tons of guys stalking me as of this very minute!"

Mamoru looked around and smirked. "Unless these guys are invisible, I think you're full of yourself."

"Whaaaaaaaaat??!!" Usagi screeched, halting in her steps. Who does this guy think he is?!! "I'm full of myself?! Look whose talking! You're Mr. Arrogant himself!" Eyes narrowing down at her, Mamoru rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. At least I'm not going to a cram school for little kids."

"My MOM signed me up for that!!"

"Well she wouldn't have if she had a reason to, would she?"

Clenching her fist, Usagi gave him a hard glare. "Jerk! I don't need you to walk me. I'm in more danger when I'm around you!"

Rolling his eyes, Mamoru remained stern as he looked at her. "The same goes for me."

"Fine! Go home!"

Without a reply, Mamoru turned on his heal and began to walk in the opposite direction. Soon the raindrops that were once prevented by the turtle umbrella were falling onto Usagi, soaking everything they touched. She hesitated, wondering if she really needed to run after him. She knew if she went home like a wet rat, her mother would kill her. Groaning in defeat, she hung her head. "Mamoru," she called, regretting each moment. With the most arrogant smirk on his face, Mamoru turned around and faced her.

"Kobuta."

Seething through her teeth, Usagi let that pass. "Please walk me home."

"Whatever you say, Kobuta."

"U-SA-GI!"

Finally reaching the Tsukino household, Usagi rang her doorbell as Mamoru began to ring out his umbrella. "So, this is where you live. Now I know where to tell all those guys who are stalking you to go," he joked. Usagi rolled her eyes.

"You're so lame." The door swung open with her little brother standing in the doorway, un-amused. He looked up at her, then at Mamoru, and turned back to call at his parents.

"Mama. Usagi was out with her boyfriend, but she's back now."

"Baka!!" Usagi screamed and shoved her brother out of the doorway. Stepping in, she called to her mom. "Mama! Shingo's a liar!" Turning around, she looked at Mamoru, who kept that cool and stern look he was so well known for. "I guess you're gonna bus now?"

Shrugging, Mamoru opened his umbrella again. "Maybe."

"Why don't you phone your parents? They could probably pick you up." Usagi watched as Mamoru's face filled with a kind of pain and remorse. Raising an eyebrow, she wondered if she had said something wrong. Mamoru looked at her and shook his head.

"I'm fine. Ja ne, Kobuta."

"U-SA-GI," she corrected. Mamoru nodded, and turned around and began to walk away. "Mamoru-baka?" she called. He turned his head and looked at her. "Thanks... for walking me home. Even if you were being a jerk," she added, giving him one final glare. "But, thank you. I appreciate it."

And at that moment, Mamoru did something that she thought she would never see. His lips widened as a smile formed. Usagi felt her whole face flush red when she saw it. 'Mamoru, smiling??' It was a gorgeous smile. She could have stared at him for so long if he hadn't turned   
around and walked away.

[ dokidokidoki... ]

"Damn heart," she muttered, and closed the door behind her. Sighing, she pushed herself off the door and began to walk towards her mother. "Mama! Are you home?"

"Usagi!" Ikuko sternly called. "I'm so disappointed in you!!"

She gulped. "Mama, I'm sorry, I fell asleep at the karaoke and--"

"I don't care about that. What I DO care about is that you didn't bother to bring your little sister with you!!"

Eyes widening into two huge circles, Usagi's jaw almost dropped to the ground with a thud. "Ehh?! Sister?!!" Last time she checked, she never had a sister. Was her mom okay? "Mama, are you--"

"Baka-Usagi!" A young voice called at her and interrupted her. She sounded so young, as if she was 7 years old. "I can't believe you forgot me. You were supposed to bring me out today." Usagi slowly turned her head, and gasped when a little black haired child stood behind her. "What kind of older sister are you?!"

Ikuko shook her head at Usagi and patted her on the shoulder. "Just don't forget next time, or I will punish you!" she exclaimed, flicking her on the nose. "Now both of you go upstairs and brush! Usagi, take Usagi-chan with you."

Usagi looked down at the kid in front of her. Dark black hair like hers, it was also designed in the same fashion: two ponytails, but they weren't as long as hers. When Ikuko and Shingo left the room, the girl's eyes narrowed down at her, sending shivers down her spine. Pulling out a gun, she pointed it directly at Usagi.

"Maboroshi no Ginzuishou. Give it to me. Or I'll take your life."


	2. Friend or Fiend?

**Le Lapin Le Plus Rose (The Pinkest Bunny)**  
Written by: Neeko

Author's Notes: If you managed to catch the first version of this chapter online, then ignore it. I uploaded it that morning, and remembered later in the day that I wanted to rewrite it, so I quickly deleted it, but FF.net takes a while before it updates. So, I'm sorry for those who read it, but please re-read this new chapter. I think I rushed too far into the plot with the other one. In compensation for this, I've also uploaded the third chapter, just incase you think that I did that for reviews.

---  
Chapter 2  
Friend or Fiend?  
---  
  
"Maboroshi no Ginzuishou. Give it to me. Or I'll take your life."

With a silver gun in her hand, the girl had her arm up and pointed it directly at Usagi's head. Her brown eyes narrowed into tiny slits, with the most serious look on her face. Usagi stared down at her with eyes as wide as she could make them. 'An enemy? Posing as a child?!' How could her parents be so stupid?! Unless... 'She hypnotized them?!' "You're an enemy, aren't you?! You'll pay for tricking my family!" she swore.

"Shut up!" Usagi jumped back a bit, frightened by the scary and cold tone in the child's voice. "Just give me the crystal," she impatiently demanded, motioning with her hand to bring it forward. Usagi didn't even know where the Maboroshi no Ginzuishou was. No one did. That was the reason why she was a senshi. To find the princess and the crystal, and protect them both.

But who was this kid? Why did she want it as well? "I don't have the crystal--"

"Enough lies," she interrupted. "I'll get the crystal, one way or another, Tsukino Usagi." Her finger pulled back on the trigger, and the gun fired with a loud bang. Usagi was not fast enough to dodge it, and instinctively held up her arms and closed her eyes to prepare for the piercing blow...

...but nothing came.

Slowly opening her eyes, she felt something on her forehead. 'She shot me in the head?!! But... I'm still alive!" She felt something on her forehead. Reaching up, she plucked whatever was on her head off, and stared down at the object in her hand. A sticky, green dart. Grimacing, Usagi clenched the dart in her hand. 'The kid shot me with... TOY GUN?!!' Wanting to strangle that brat, she held her hands out to wrap around her neck, but she soon realized the kid had disappeared. "Eh?"

She looked down at her hand, and gasped when the dart was gone. Scratching her head, she looked around the room. 'Where'd she go?!' She searched the room, high and low, and the rooms beside it, but no mysterious girl. 'Don't tell me I was imagining things. I swore I saw her!' "Mama!!" she called, but not taking her eyes off the room. In a few seconds, her mom came running into the room. "Mama... where's Usagi-chan?" she asked. Her mom looked at her with a strange look.

"Baka Usagi. YOU are Usagi-chan!" Usagi turned and faced her mom, with her jaw open. "Now hurry up and get ready. You're supposed to meet with your friends in the morning, ne?"

"But... where's my little sister?" she asked. Her mom gave her another weird look and sighed.

"Mou, Usagi-chan, I think something is wrong with your brain," she replied, while bapping it with her palm. Usagi groaned, and rubbed her head. "You don't have a little sister."

"Eh?! But.. you just said I did! Just a few minutes ago! She--" Growing tired of her babbling, Ikuko grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her around towards the stairs. "Mama, I swear, I saw her!!"

"My Usagi-chan is going crazy...." Ikuko told herself. "Where did I go wrong?"

"Mama! I'm not going crazy!!!" Taking one last look around the room, she sighed. 'Or am I?' With the help of her pushy mom, she made way her way upstairs to clean up and get ready for bed.

---

"It was weird," Usagi explained, while pulling the covers over her body. "I remember seeing her. Gun and all. She kept asking for the Ginzuishou. Then she's gone, along with the dart! Am I just hallucinating, Luna?" She asked, turning her head towards the plushy resting on her right. Luna sighed.

"Well, it does sound like you were seeing and hearing things. Maybe the rain got to you when you were walking home in it?"

"But, I swear I saw her. Mama said she was my little sister and her name was Usagi! But right after the girl disappeared, so did my mom's memories of ever saying that. I asked Shingo-kun afterwards if he knew her, and he didn't know either! Luna... I'm not going crazy, am I?" she pleaded. The images of the girl never left her head. She was there! She wasn't imagining things!

With a yawn, Luna finally closed her eyes. "We'll figure it out tomorrow, okay? Let's go to sleep."

"G'nite, Luna..." she called, before turning off the light. Closing her eyes, she let out a weary sigh. The whole day was confusing. First the events with Mamoru, and now this? Grinning happily, Usagi clenched her eyes, hoping that the dreams of her Tuxedo Kamen would wash away all these troubles plaguing her.

["There's no way I'm going to let you go home in that."]

Usagi's eyes shot open as she recalled the events at the karaoke place. 'Why am I thinking of him?' She asked himself. 'I'm supposed to be dreaming of Tuxedo Kamen!' Nodding her head, she closed her eyes again for another try.

["I can't stand to be separated again...."]

Usagi's eyes opened again, frustrated at the fact that the jerk couldn't leave her mind, again. 'Stop stop stop it!' She screamed at herself. 'Tuxedo Kamen, Tuxedo Kamen, Tuxedo Kamen....'

But as much as Usagi didn't want it to happen, her dreams would soon be greeted with a familiar face, that wasn't Tuxedo Kamen.

---

Getting up on a Saturday morning was one of the hardest things to do.

Especially with a dream like that.

Usagi slowly pulled herself off the bed, and stretched out her arms. Yawning, Usagi got up, and did another stretch. Step by step, she made her way towards the bathroom. Usagi waited outside the closed door, rubbing her eyes. The sleep she had was absolutely wonderful. Coincidentally, it was in that same sleep that she had a dream of Mamoru. Blushing as she recalled exactly what happened, she shook her head.

'Dream? What dream? I had no dream. Nope, nadda... nope...' But she did have a dream. And it was a wonderful one. She remembered every single moment of it. Him holding her, whispering in her ear, hugging her, kissing her... Usagi shook her head again. 'Probably because I was thinking of Tuxedo Kamen and Mamoru at the same time, my subconscious smooshed the two together! So, the stuff I dreamed about Mamoru is what I want to do with Tuxedo Kamen. Yeah, that makes sense! Right? Right?'

Scratching her head, Usagi knocked on the bathroom door. "Mouu, Shingo, hurry!" Who would have thought guys would take just as long as girls (maybe even longer) in the bathroom? She had to go to the Crown Karaoke again to meet with the girls, and she definitely wouldn't be on time at this rate. Usagi was just going to pound on it one more time when it swung open. "Finally--Aah!"

Usagi threw herself backwards when a hovering ball with the face of a bloated cat stared down at her. With an antennae sticking out from its forehead, it took one look at her and turned away. Before Usagi could even say a word, the same girl from the night before stepped through   
the door.

Her raven hair fell to her shoulders, since it was no longer in two ponytails. Her dark brown eyes were half closed, showing she was just as tired as Usagi was. In the same PJ's as Usagi (pink with white bunnies all over) but smaller versions, the girl lazily walked past Usagi, not even noticing her. Usagi watched as the black hovering ball followed her as she went downstairs.

"Na... na... na... NA.... NAAAANII!!!?!?!?!" Usagi screeched. She wasn't going crazy! There she was!! Running as fast as she could to catch up with that girl, she picked her up from the armpits and lifted her up into the air. The girl screamed as she was picked up from the floor and began to wiggle about trying to get free.

"Let go of me Usagi-baka!!" she protested. Usagi held on firmly to the small girl. Twirling her around to see her face to face, Usagi gave her the hardest glare she could. It was difficult to do, since the girl was so cute. Her eyes were tiny, as well as her nose, and her lips were pouting out. Her entire face gleamed with innocence, which almost made Usagi feel bad. 'Almost,' she told herself.

"Just who are you?! How do you know who I am?! Did you stay over here?! What's your plan?!" she asked, shaking her. The girl screamed, 'Mama!' and soon Usagi's mom, Ikuko, came running in.

"Usagi!! What are you doing to your sister?!!" she asked, rushing up towards the two. "Let her down this instant!"

Usagi stared at her mom in disbelief. "Mama, you said yourself yesterday night that I never had a little sister!"

Her mom rolled her eyes and bapped Usagi on the head with her spatula. Before Usagi let her go, Ikuko grabbed the girl away from her and set her down on the ground. "Owww!" Usagi whined, rubbing her head. "Mama, you gotta stop hitting my head!"

"Baka Usagi! Don't say that around your little sister. I don't know what's wrong with you. Did you lose your memory?" Bapping her again with the spatula, Usagi frowned at her.

"Maybe, because you keep hitting me in the head!!"

Ignoring her last statement, Ikuko flicked her forehead. "Now stop picking on poor Usagi-chan. Your breakfast is ready."

"She's Usagi-chan?! Usagi-chan is what YOU call me!!" Usagi protested. Ikuko bapped her again. "Mouu, stop it!"

Turning around, she lifted a finger and began to walk away. "Today is Cheese Omelet!" Once Ikuko left the room, 'Usagi-chan' turned around, eyes narrowing to that cold evil stare.

"I told you there's other ways I can get the crystal," she threatened, and walked away. Mouth open, Usagi watched as she girl disappeared from her sight. Luna came out from behind and went beside Usagi.

"You were right, Usagi-chan! What does she want with the Ginzuishou? If she is an enemy, your family is...." Luna warned, looking up at Usagi. Clenching her fist, Usagi shook her head.

"Don't worry. I'll protect them. I'll find out who this girl is, and get rid of her before she hurts my family. I promise!" Nodding, she picked up Luna, and made her way towards the kitchen, making sure now to keep an extra eye open at all times.

---

Placing on her shoes, Usagi paused for a moment. The breakfast at the dinner table was like a normal family breakfast. It was as if she had always eaten breakfast with that girl. Looking at a nearby picture frame, her eyes widened when she saw the exact same girl sitting next to her. With a big smile on her face, while holding the peace sign with her right hand, Usagi had her arm wrapped around her neck, doing the same thing. Smiling at the picture, she couldn't help but think how incredibly cute the girl was. She had hoped and wished for a little sister, but this wasn't the same thing. This girl was tricking her parents and family, and it was up to her to find out why. Secretly she hoped that this girl wasn't an enemy, because in the form of a child, she wasn't sure if she could get rid of her.

"Usagi-chan, are you sure it's wise to leave now?" Luna asked. She hung partly outside the top of Usagi's handbag. "What about that girl?"

"Mama left to do groceries, and Shingo went to a friend's house. I haven't seen that girl anywhere. Anyways, I left them my cell phone just in case. We need to find out information about her before we do anything, right?" Luna nodded. Closing the door behind her, she locked it, and made her way towards the Crown Karaoke Place.

"It's strange how your mom completely forgot about that girl. She's probably under some kind of temporary hypnosis." Luna suggested.

"Maybe it has something to do with that big hovering ball that always follows her. Y'know, come to think of it... It looks like you!!" she exclaimed. Glaring at Usagi, Luna's mouth dropped in disbelief.

"It does NOT!!" Usagi giggled, and placed a finger on her chin.

"We should get Rei-chan to check her out. She usually has that feeling if people are evil or not, right?"

"Usagi-chan.... ALL Sailor senshi have that feeling. You're just oblivious to it." Luna explained, and shook her head. Usagi glared at her and gently flicked her on the head.

"I am NOT oblivious. I just... my radar isn't as powerful yet. Anyways, let's hurry up! I want to sing C'est La Vie again!!" she exclaimed, and began to swing her bag back and forth, while humming the tune to the catchy song. At the same time, Luna stared up at her and grinned.

"You seem so eager to get there, and I have a feeling it's not because of Aino Minako." Luna teased. Usagi stopped dead in her tracks, and looked at Luna.

"What's THAT supposed to mean?!!" Giving her a sly look, Luna grinned and went to the bottom of her bag. "That better not be what I think you're thinking of!" she threatened. The plushy didn't reply. 'I'm not there to see him, if that's what she's thinking. Sure he'll be there... but that doesn't mean I'm going there to actually see him! I mean, I WILL see him, but I didn't go there specifically to SEE him,' she told herself. 'Right?'

Shaking her head, Usagi began to continue her cheery pace to the Crown Karaoke, unaware that the small girl was following their every step.

---

The automatic arcade doors opened with a welcoming woosh. Usagi's head immediately shot up towards the counter, hoping to see a familiar face, but was slightly disappointed when there was only one person behind the counter. "Oi, Usagi-chan!" Motoki called from behind his turtle tank.

Usagi smiled weakly at him and walked up towards the counter. "Your friends were here earlier. Are you meeting them?" Usagi nodded, as her eyes began to travel around the room, searching for something. Motoki saw this, and sighed. "What are you looking for?"

"That guy...." she replied, turning her head and peering down other places. "Chiba... Mamoru...." Not catching his disappointed frown, Usagi turned her head to face him again. "Is he here?"

"Mamoru? He'll be coming shortly. Said he had something to do first. Why do you want to know?" he asked, while his eyes traveled to the floor. Usagi shook her head, and held up her hands.

"No, I just really didn't want to see him! He annoys me a lot," she lied. "I'm gonna go inside now, bye!" She waved at him, and ran towards the entrance of their secret meeting place. Opening the door, she quickly closed it behind her, and ran down the stairs. Three familiar heads looked up at her, all with the same disappointed look on their faces.

"You're late," The brunette, Kino Makoto, replied. Usagi walked up towards the white table, and sat down.

"Sorry, but I had to take care of some things at home. Luna and I have some really urgent news." Pulling Luna out of her bag, she placed her on the table, and dusted off some dust on her fur. "We think an enemy has invaded our house."

"Eh?" They all exclaimed.

"What happened, Usagi-chan?" The priestess, Hino Rei, asked.

"After I went home yesterday, this girl was in my house, and hypnotized my family into thinking she was my little sister. She had black hair up to her shoulders, and it was in ponytails like mine! She even said her name was 'Usagi,' and she kept asking for the Ginzuishou. And the weird thing is, she disappeared and my parents didn't remember her, until this morning where she couldn't remember what she said last night!"

Mizuno Ami made her way towards the computer and began to type various things. "That's strange. Are you sure it was wise to leave your family right now?"

"They're all out now, and I left them my cell number just in case," she explained.

"We need to find out as much information as we can about this girl. We can't let her find the Ginzuishou, even if she isn't an enemy," Luna suggested. "Rei-chan, do you think you could check her out? See if you have any weird feelings from her?"

Rei nodded. "Yeah, I will. I'm worried, though. We're already dealing with this enemy. Now we have another one? We still need to find the Princess and protect her."

"We'll just deal with one thing at a time. Where is she now, Usagi-chan?" Makoto asked. Usagi shrugged her shoulders and sighed.

"I don't know. I left the house and no one was in there. She must have walked out, or something. But where would she go? And where is she from?" Usagi wondered, and placed a finger on her chin. She hoped that wherever she was, her family would be safe from her.

---

"Sorry I'm late," Mamoru apologized, while hanging his jacket behind the back room door. "Had to finish my paper this morning."

"That's okay," Motoki replied, with a small yawn. "You didn't miss much." Gleefully smiling at his turtle, Motoki gently tapped on the glass. "Ohayo, Kamekichi-kun!" Mamoru shook his head slightly at his friend, as he walked over to the counter. "Kamekichi-kun says hi, Mamoru!" Mamoru gave him the strangest look, before placing on his red apron.

"You're quite the strange one, Motoki."

"Aren't you going to say hi, back?" Motoki asked. Mamoru laughed as if Motoki was joking, but the look on his face showed otherwise. Coughing away his embarrassment, Mamoru looked at Kamekichi and gave a small wave. Motoki smiled at him, and returned back to watching his turtle. "So, did you have any troubles last night?"

["Thanks... for walking me home. Even if you were being a jerk. But, thank you. I appreciate it."]

Mamoru turned his head slightly to the right in a horrible attempt to hide the flaring blush that began to show through his cheeks. Every moment of walking with Usagi was implemented into his mind. There was not one part that he didn't remember. 'What's wrong with me? All I did was walk her home...' He remembered his heart beating a billion times when she was thanking him and the embarrassment and shy look on her face she had when she was saying it.

"Not really," Mamoru finally replied, and coughed. "Just closed up, went home." That wasn't a lie. He just didn't tell him the complete truth. 'There's a difference,' he told himself.

"Oh... I see. Was... Usagi-chan still here?" Motoki asked, his voice slightly wavering. But before Mamoru could think of something to say, Motoki let out a gasp. "Oi, Mamoru, look!" he said, while pointing at the automatic doors. Mamoru's eyes followed his finger towards the doors, just in time to see a flash of black hair duck out of sight. "Someone's been standing outside there for the longest time. Ever since Usagi-chan came in--"

"Usagi's here?" Mamoru quickly asked. An awkward silence passed by as the two grown men stared at each other, and looked away. "I mean... is... she's..." Groaning, Mamoru smacked his forehead on his palm. 'You're an idiot. There's nooo way out of this one.' But he tried, none   
the less. "She's here?" A pathetic attempt he gave to try to make up for his idiocy.

Motoki nodded, trying to hide the pain that clearly showed. "Yeah. She came here half an hour ago. That person's been there ever since she stepped in," he explained. Thankful that Motoki didn't point out his blurt-out, Mamoru nodded.

"I'll go check it out. Maybe they're lost, or something." Stepping around the counter, Mamoru made his way outside. As he stepped through the automatic doors and up the stairs, Mamoru frowned when no one was in sight. 'Maybe Motoki was seeing things? But then again, I saw it too...' Looking around for places the person could have hidden, he found an alleyway a few steps to his right. Turning the corner, he peered into the empty alley and frowned again. 'Guess we were just seeing things?'

The moment Mamoru was about to turn around, he heard a small rattle. Eyes darting towards the garbage can, the origin of the sound, Mamoru slowly walked towards it. "Hello?" he called. Slowly, yet surely, Mamoru got closer, and closer and closer, until it was only a matter of lifting the lid. Fingers wrapping around the front of the lid, he began to slowly lift it up.

"Luna.. P..."

Mamoru jumped back at the voice and dropped the lid. 'What was that?! It sounded like a child...' He groaned, hoping it wasn't some kid pulling a prank on him.

Suddenly, the lid flew open with a loud crash. Jumping out of the garbage can was a nine year old girl. Black, shoulder length hair in two ponytail-buns, dark red eyes narrowed into tiny slits, and small lips formed into a cold smirk. In a mini-version of the Juuban Uniform, the girl's arm was raised high into the air with a big, black bloated cat sphere in her hand.

'She looks like someone I know...' The uniform and hair were a big give away. 'She looks like Usagi!' Somewhat frightened by the emotionless stare she was giving him, his fear began to disappear when her stare began to fade away. Replacing it was confusion, as her eyes softened, and were no longer glaring at him. Arm slowly lowering, Mamoru was surprised to see the black sphere hovering next to her head.

Mamoru was suddenly hit with a pang of familiarity. Although at first glance he had never seen this child, but somewhere deep inside he felt like had. It wasn't just someone he knew. It felt like she was someone close to him. Close to his heart.

Eyes never leaving the child's, he slowly walked towards the garbage bin. The girl never looked away, only staring at him with the confusion and familiarity that she was also feeling. Finally, Mamoru weakly smiled, and held out his hand. "You should get out of there. It's not good for a little girl to be in a garbage bin."

The girl took one look at his hand, and then back to his face. "I'm not a little girl," she simply replied. "I'm a lady." Softly chuckling, Mamoru nodded.

"It's not good for a lady to be in a garbage bin," he corrected himself. The child hesitated for a bit longer, before placing her small into his larger one.

The moment their skin touched, Mamoru's eyes widened as images began to flash through his mind. Images of a city... with a palace... a crystal palace... with a woman... sleeping.. sick... Mamoru shook his head, hoping to shake the images out as well, but they stayed there, planted   
into his brain. The girl looked at him with worry, wondering what happened. "Something wrong?" she asked.

"No... I... just... thought I saw something." Ignoring what happened, Mamoru slowly helped the girl out of the garbage bin, as she landed safely onto the ground. "What were you doing in there, anyways?" he asked. Brushing off some dust on her blue skirt, the girl looked up at Mamoru.

"I thought you were someone else," she replied.

"Me and my friend were wondering what you were doing. Are you waiting for someone? You could always wait inside." The girl shook her head and looked away. Mamoru stared down at the girl, wondering if she was really a child or not. Her voice was full of maturity, as if she was already a grown woman. Her face however, was a different story. It glowed with an innocence that every child was born with. Plus, she seemed so familiar to him....

"I was waiting for my..." She paused slightly. "...my older sister. She was supposed to bring me with her, but she ran out of the house before I could go with her." Mamoru squatted down, so he was at her level and frowned.

"What kind of older sister would do that? Come wait inside and scold her when she comes out," he joked. The girl looked at him for a moment, and smiled. Holding out his hand, the girl smiled and placed hers into his. Standing back up, Mamoru began to lead the girl out of the dark alleyway, back into the warm Karaoke place. Once entering, Mamoru lead her towards the counter. Motoki looked away from his turtle as he caught an extra pair of eyes staring at it.

"Eh?" Looking around the tank, he raised an eyebrow at the little child who was staring with such fascination at his turtle. "Who's this, Mamoru?"

"What a cute turtle!!" The girl giggled, as she began to tap the glass slightly.

Motoki smiled at the little girl. "His name is Kamekichi-kun."

"This is the person who was outside the doors. She's waiting for her older sister." Mamoru explained. "By the way, what's your name?" he asked. Motoki shook his head at Mamoru.

"Baka Mamoru. Kids are taught never to tell strangers their names," he scolded. Much to Motoki's surprise, the girl answered Mamoru's question.

"Tsukino.... Tsukino, Usagi."

At the exact moment, both jaws of Mamoru and Motoki dropped, as they stared at the child in disbelief. This girl was USAGI'S little sister?! Mamoru felt like hitting himself. No wonder she seemed so familiar. She was the imouto of Usagi! Strangely disappointed at the fact that he didn't know this, Mamoru knew Motoki was feeling the exact same way as he was.

"You're Usagi-chan's little sister?!!" Motoki cried. "I never knew she had a little sister! She never told us about you!"

"That's my mean oneeesama," Little Usagi teased, still paying attention to the turtle. Mamoru looked at Motoki and shrugged. Guess there were things about Usagi that neither one of them knew. Finally pulling her eyes away from the turtle, she looked up at Motoki with hope in her   
eyes. "Can I hold the turtle?" she asked.

The sheer look of horror on Motoki's face made Mamoru sweat drop. Before Motoki could decline, Mamoru intervened. "Sure. Let's wash your hands first...."

---

Bidding their farewells to Ami, Makoto and Luna, Rei and Usagi left the location of the secret hideout underneath the Crown. Usagi had left with Rei to find that mysterious girl and see if she really was an enemy or not. "Where do you think she went?" Rei asked, as she closed the door behind her. Usagi shrugged her shoulders and sighed.

"I have no clue. Hopefully she'll just turn up somewhere." It was as if the Gods in the Heavens heard her call. In front of her was that girl, propped on top of the counter, talking and giggling away with no one other than Chiba Mamoru. "You!" she screamed, pointing an accusing finger at the child.

"Oi, Kobuta!" Mamoru harshly called to her. "Don't leave your house next time without your imouto. Who knows what could have happened to her while she was waiting for you." Usagi's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. She could practically hear that kid go 'nyah nyah' at her! She was turning this around to make it seem like HER fault?! What bothered her the most was that Mamoru of all people was scolding her. "Lucky for the both of us, I was here to keep her company." They both exchanged smiles, which sent Usagi's jealousy meter off the scales.

"Mamoru-san is the greatest!" Little Usagi exclaimed. "He's so funny! The stories he's told me about you are hilarious!" Usagi felt her face turn completely red. Mamoru told stories about her?! This girl could be her enemy, and Mamoru told personal things to her?! Not to mention, why does that little brat get that gorgeous smile so easily, when it took her ages to get it?!

'Gorgeous? Wait a minute...'

Seething through her teeth, Usagi glared at the child in front of her. "Come on, darling little sister, we have to go home." Little Usagi folded her arms and pouted.

"I want to stay with Mamoru-san!" she argued. Usagi couldn't believe this kid. She actually wanted to STAY with that jerk?! "Oh! Can't he come over? He can meet Mama! We can sit around the table and eat--"

"No way! Home is one of the places I can guarantee myself that I won't see that spineless jerk. There's NO way I'm ever going to invite him in there!" Usagi screamed at the two. Mamoru smirked and glanced at little Usagi.

"Ne, I can't go out today. Have to take care of the Crown. But we'll go out another day. We'll plan some more jokes against your sister," he teased. Rubbing the top of her head, Mamoru grinned after her as she jumped off the counter. "Ja ne, Chibi Usa-chan."

"Chibi... Usa?" Usagi asked.

"Mamoru-san thought of it for me, since you stole my name," Chibi Usa explained. Usagi rolled her eyes as Chibi Usa stopped to wave back at Mamoru.

"Why don't you two just get married...." Usagi mumbled under her breath. Jealousy was all around her. Frustrated, Usagi grabbed her by the hand and had to practically drag her outside. Once outside, and out of view of the Crown, Usagi knew it was time to get down to business.   
Find out who this kid was, why she was here, and what she knew about the Ginzuishou. But before Usagi could even ask a question, Chibi Usa let out a dreamy sigh.

"Isn't he so wonderful? Chiba Mamoru... he's so cool! His hair, his eyes, his smile, his--"

"Oh God. Don't tell me you've fallen for Mamoru-baka!" Shaking her head and pushing back the jealousy monster that tried to come out, Usagi stopped walking and pulled Chibi Usa in front of her so they were face to face. Squatting down so she was at her level, Usagi held onto her shoulders so she wouldn't move. "Now, tell me who you are! What have you done to my family?!" she demanded. Chibi Usa began to struggle, but Usagi's grip held on firmly. "Just answer the question!"

Rei, who had remained silent the entire time, reached out and touched Usagi's shoulder. "Usagi, I think you should let go of her."

"Not yet, Rei-chan! I have to find out who this girl is. What have you done to my family?! Did you brainwash Mamoru-baka too?! Answer me!!" But before Rei could warn her, the hovering black cat sphere exploded, creating a heavy smoke fog. Usagi's death grip loosened, and Chibi Usa took this moment to run away. Hand over their mouths, Rei and Usagi began to cough uncontrollably, until finally the thick smoke began to die down. Taking a few more coughs to get the dust out of her lungs, Usagi looked around for the pigtailed brat.

"I tried to warn you," Rei spoke up. Sighing, Usagi stood up and brushed off some dust on her shirt.

"So, she is an enemy, isn't she? She probably brainwashed Mamoru-baka too!" Rei shook her head, causing Usagi to stare at her in confusion. "She's not an enemy?"

"I couldn't feel any evil energy around her. If anything, what I felt was entirely... pure." Usagi's eyes widened. The kid was pure?! "I sensed a lot of remorse from her. A lot of pain and horrible memories. I think that Chibi Usa-chan is just looking for help." Looking into her friend's eyes, Rei's expression grew serious. "But still keep an open eye for her. If she's looking for the Ginzuishou as well, I'm sure the enemy will be after her. Try to get her to open up and find out who she's running from, and who she's looking for."

'The girl... wasn't an enemy?' It was hard for Usagi to believe, but in some weird way it did make sense. Although her sense for these things isn't as developed as Rei's, she too couldn't sense any evil energy from her. 'Maybe Rei-chan is right. Maybe she's just looking for help. But where did she come from? And why is she looking for help?'

---

"I'm home!" Usagi called as she closed the door behind her. Taking her shoes off, Usagi placed her bag on a nearby counter. The familiar scent of her Mom's cooking filled her nose, causing her to let out a sigh. "Mmm! Smells good!"

"Welcome home, Usagi-chan!" Her mother called to her from the counter. "Go call Chibi Usa-chan for dinner. I think she's in her room sleeping." Usagi tilted her head slightly. So she went home? Which brought up the point, where exactly did she sleep?

Making her way towards the stairs, Usagi recalled seeing her with Mamoru. Her short pigtails, and her mini version of her school uniform. How did she even get that, anyways? Her heart screamed in jealousy remembering the smiles that she and Mamoru exchanged. She noticed a different side to Mamoru when he looked at Chibi Usa. Frowning, Usagi wondered why he never looked that way towards her. 'Does it matter?!' she asked herself. 'Like I care what Mamoru-baka thinks.... right?' Still, she couldn't deny the jealousy she felt. 'Jealous over a little kid? How stupid... and childish of me.'

Shaking the thoughts out of her head, Usagi looked down the hallway of the upstairs. There were six doors. Her room, her mom and dad's room, her brother's room, two bathrooms, and a storage room. She checked all the bedrooms and bathrooms, but the little rabbit was no where to be seen. The final room was the storage room. Could she be in there?

Hand grasping around the doorknob, Usagi turned it as quietly as she could, and gently pushed the door open. A breath escaped Usagi's lips, as her eyes traveled around the room. It was an exact duplicate of hers! Down to every rabbit. How did she do it? How did she manage to copy everything of hers?

Stepping through the door, Usagi's eyes traveled to the sleeping form of Chibi Usa lying on the bed. Usagi watched as her chest inflate and deflate after each breath. She couldn't help but note how innocent and adorable she looked sleeping. Walking over to the side of the bed, Usagi kneeled on the floor, and looked at Chibi Usa with such curiosity. She never realized how much the girl looked like her. The hair, the eyes, the face, everything about her. She could easily pull   
off being her sister.

Just as she was about to get up, Chibi Usa's quiet whisper stopped her. "Ma.. ma...." Usagi spun her head around and stared at her. Chibi Usa began to clench her eyes, and tossed slightly. "Papa!" she cried louder. Usagi gasped when two small tears fell down her cheeks from her eyes. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry... don't hurt them...." she pleaded. Usagi watched in shock as Chibi Usa began to whimper. She was having a nightmare, but what kind? Should she wake her up?

She didn't have to. Chibi Usa's eyes shot open, as she sat up and began to scream, "Mama!!" Thrown back by the surprise, Usagi's eyes grew as Chibi Usa's high pitched scream ran through her ears. Finally stopping, Chibi Usa threw her face into her hands, as her barrier broke down and the tears began to flow endlessly. Usagi didn't know why the girl was crying, but something inside of her wanted to hold her and comfort her. It wanted her to stop crying. Usagi walked up to the bed and set next to Chibi Usa. Pulling the girl into her arms, Usagi began to pat her back, and whispered, "Its okay... don't cry..."

Chibi Usa kept crying. Amazingly enough, this felt incredibly... right. She was surprised Chibi Usa didn't pull away. Maybe she was feeling the same way? Everything about it felt so familiar, as if she had done it already. Someone, holding her felt like something she was born to do. Perhaps it was the senshi inside of her, but she wanted to protect her. She didn't know a thing about her, where she came from, who she was, why she was doing what she was doing, but there was one thing she knew for certain. Whatever she was running from, she would protect her from it.

---

"The rabbit is in the past?"

"Apparently so. I think she was looking for Sailormoon, but she must have traveled to the wrong era."

"Why is that?"

"The senshi have not completely awoken. Same with the Princess. Nor has the Ginzuishou."

The man's eyes widened. "You mean... Sailormoon doesn't have the Ginzuishou?" The hooded man in front of him shook his head. "How fortunate. Does that mean that the King and Queen--"

The hooded man smirked and chuckled. "Nope. They don't even know of their past lives."

Smiling with delight, the man brought his cup of wine to his lips and drank the dark liquid. "This is turning out to be more than I expected. Set our course for the past, one year earlier than we were originally intending. I think I'll pay a visit to the rabbit, and the dear Tsukino Usagi."


	3. Through the Eyes of the Rabbit

**Le Lapin Le Plus Rose (The Pinkest Bunny)**  
Written by: Neeko   
  
In this chapter, I've decided to take the POV of Chibi Usa, just to get you guys knowing why she's here, what she's looking for, etc. etc. This one is a little shorter than the other ones, but the next few chapters will makeup for it. This one may not be as exciting, but the future chapters will be, so don't worry!   
  
---  
Chapter 3  
Through the Eyes of the Rabbit  
---  
  
[ "What's happening?! Mom... MOM?! Where are you?!" Chibi Usa screamed as a large explosion erupted nearby outside the palace. Cowering in fear, Chibi Usa held her arms over her head, hoping it would all go away.  
  
"Small Lady?" Chibi Usa gasped when she heard the sound of her mother's voice. She was about to run up to her...  
  
...only to see a flash of black lightning strike her.]  
  
"MAMA!" Chibi Usa screamed at the top of her lungs, as shot up from the bed. Head covered in sweat, heart beating insanely fast, Chibi Usa clutched her chest, as her breaths began to increase. As her body began to calm down, the images of her dreams and memories began to fill her mind again. The dam was broken, and suddenly her eyes began to flow with endless tears. Recalling the remorse, the pain, and the agony she felt when she saw her mother fall back from the strike of the enemy...  
  
Throwing her face into her hands, Chibi Usa closed her eyes, hoping to block out the painful memories that never seemed to leave her. Every time she closed her eyes to sleep, the images would haunt her. 'It's my fault it happened... if I wasn't so stupid... if I didn't take the crystal....'   
  
Suddenly, she felt two warm arms wrap around her. Gasping, a feeling of familiarity rushed over her. It was that warm, safe feeling she felt when... her mother held her. Chibi Usa looked up to see Tsukino Usagi, holding her, and whispering sweet comforts. Resting her head against her chest, Chibi Usa clung onto that warm feeling. She missed it. She missed it when her mother held her, and told her everything would be fine... just like Usagi was doing right now....   
  
A feeling of embarrassment caused Chibi Usa to pull away from the warm arms of Usagi. Did she see her cry? Was she here the whole time? Quickly wiping the tears away, Chibi Usa looked away from Usagi's concerned stare. "Sorry. I... had a bad dream." Sniffling, Chibi Usa hoped and prayed that Usagi would buy it. Not willing to find out, Chibi Usa placed on a fake smile, and hopped off the bed. "Is dinner ready?" she asked. She didn't even wait for the answer, because she knew Usagi would ask her something about what she was dreaming of. Chibi Usa wasn't ready to talk about it right now.   
  
Running out the door, she made her way towards the dinner table. Greeted by the loving smile of her 'mother,' Tsukino Ikuko, Chibi Usa happily jumped into the seat at the table. "Mou, where is Usagi-chan? I sent her to get you, and here you are before her. She must have fallen on her way down," Ikuko teased. Chibi Usa giggled and shook her head.  
  
"She's coming." Usagi was incredibly lucky to have a mother like Ikuko. She felt fortunate to be able to be in a family like this, even if it was all fake. She had to assume the identity of a little sister of a nearby family, and it was pure coincidence that she found the Tsukino household.   
  
She remembered hearing stories from her dad about a person with that name. It seemed familiar to her, as well. She tried to force it out of her, but there was no avail. She had to find the Ginzuishou of the past. She needed to find Sailormoon and her soldiers. She needed them to save her parents, to save her home.   
  
So she traveled to the past to find the legendary Sailormoon that her father would tell her endless stories of. It was the guardian of time, and her friend, Sailorpluto who had given her the time key. Even though she had made a promise to her not to travel time, she knew she needed to. Go back in time and find Sailormoon through Tsukino Usagi and get the Ginzuishou of the past. Knowing it was dangerous for both crystals to be near each other, she knew it was the only way.   
  
Memories of stealing the crystal from her mother's room flooded her mind. She didn't want to steal the crystal. She just wanted to show everyone that she did have a power, and that she was the true daughter of her mother. It was just horrible timing, because at that exact moment, the enemy decided to attack. That's when she saw her mother leave the castle to find her.  
  
Blocking out the images from replaying in her mind, Chibi Usa closed her eyes. She didn't want to cry, not here, not now.... Completely absorbed in her thoughts, Chibi Usa didn't even realize that Shingo, Kenji, Ikuko and Usagi had already sat down at the table and were eating without her. Shaking her head, she grabbed the chopsticks and began to eat the dinner her 'mother' prepared.   
  
"So, how was your day, Usagi-chan?" Her mother asked. Usagi looked up from her bowl and smiled.  
  
"It was good. Went to the Crown again with my friends."   
  
"Ohh. Did you bring Chibi Usa-chan with you this time?"   
  
Chibi Usa took this time to quickly intervene. "Yeah! The place is so cool! They had all my favourite songs there!" She glanced at bewildered Usagi and winked at her. "Plus, the guy who works there is SO cool. Let's go visit there again, ne Usagi?"   
  
"Yeah...."   
  
Ikuko giggled and pinched Chibi Usa's cheek. "Mouuu, Chibi Usa-chan, have you been chasing the boys again?" Chibi Usa whined as Ikuko pulled and tugged at her cheek. "Who is this guy that is 'So cool?'"   
  
"His name is Chiba Mamoru-san," Chibi Usa explained, and rubbed her red cheek when Ikuko let go. "He's so cool. Super nice, really fun, and really cute!" Ikuko laughed as she continued to eat her dinner.  
  
"Chibi Usa-chan is in love!" she teased. "Bring him home next time, ne?"   
  
"Pleeeeeeeeease!" Usagi groaned. "The guy is in high school. I don't think it'd be wise if Chibi Usa started to 'date him.'" Chibi Usa looked at her suspiciously, eyebrow raised. Somehow that sounded more bitter than she was expecting.   
  
"Oh? Are you jealous, Usagi? Maybe it's you who wants to 'date him!'" she teased. Usagi's face turned completely red, and at the exact moment, Kenji slammed his fist on the table.  
  
"DATE?! WHAT?! YOU'RE TOO YOUNG TO DATE!!!" he roared from his seat. Usagi shook her head desperately and held up her hands.  
  
"No no, I don't want to date him! He's a spineless jerk who should be put away for life! There is no wanting to date... not from THIS rabbit, at least. Go ahead and get married to him for all I care!"   
  
Chibi Usa watched as her dad began to scream at his daughter, and her mom and brother laugh at the two. She remembered her own family dinners like this. Her mother, her father, and sometimes the Senshi would come by to eat. They'd laugh and talk about many things. Sighing, Chibi Usa continued to eat her dinner, secretly wishing that she could return to the times of her family.

---  
  
Night time came quickly, but sleep for Chibi Usa was late, as always. She tossed and turned in her bunny filled bed hoping to find a comfortable position, but she just couldn't fall asleep. Sighing, she remembered the time where she couldn't fall asleep, and her mother would come in to tuck her in and read her a story. How she wished her mother was here to do it again.   
  
Knowing that sleep would not come quickly tonight, Chibi Usa threw her covers aside and hopped out of bed. Rubbing her eyes, she walked quietly out her room towards the stairs. Her eyes glanced towards Usagi's room, and raised an eyebrow when she saw the light was still on. 'She's still awake?' Pressing her ear against the door, Chibi Usa tried to eavesdrop on their conversation.  
  
"Rei-chan said she wasn't an enemy because she couldn't feel evil energy around her."   
  
"That doesn't necessarily mean she's not an enemy. She could be using some sort of magic to conceal her energy." Chibi Usa wondered who that second voice was. It didn't sound like anyone in the house. "Keep an eye on her, Usagi-chan."  
  
"But she just needs help. She's looking for something... someone, maybe. We just need to find out who and--"  
  
"No. We have enough troubles with the Dark Kingdom, plus Tuxedo Kamen. We can't add another one to the list. She could be an enemy, waiting for the right moment to strike. I don't think it'd be wise to help her right now."   
  
Chibi Usa flinched, as the words of the unknown person struck through her mind. She thought maybe... she could depend on Usagi. Especially when she held her a few hours ago. But now Usagi only saw her as a potential enemy. Wiping away the tears that fell from her eyes, Chibi Usa walked back towards her bedroom.   
  
'But maybe... there's still someone who can help me.'

---

Clutching onto her Luna P ball, Chibi Usa carefully walked through the doors of Crown. Welcomed by the warming sounds of familiar karaoke songs, Chibi Usa sighed, and looked around for him. Glancing up at the counter, she was slightly disappointed when all she saw was the owner. "Welcome, Chibi Usa-chan!" Motoki called. Smiling, Chibi Usa nodded at him.  
  
"Hello." Looking around again, Chibi Usa did a double check to see if he was there. "Is... Mamoru-san here...?" She was surprised to see the disappointed frown on Motoki's face, as he slumped his chin into his hand. "What's wrong?"  
  
"You're just like your sister. Mamoru isn't working today, but I know he's at home studying." Chibi Usa sighed, disappointed that Mamoru wasn't there. "Is it urgent?" She nodded. "I guess I could give you his address. Get your mom to give you a ride. It's too far to walk, anyways," he explained, while grabbing a pen and paper nearby. After writing it down, he handed it to Chibi Usa.   
  
"Arigato Gozaimasu!" Waving goodbye to Motoki and Kamekichi, Chibi Usa turned on her heal and walked outside Crown. Knowing that it was too suspicious to ask her 'mom' to give her a ride, she knew there was only one way to get to Chiba Mamoru's place. On her own. Digging her hand into her pocket, she pulled out just enough yen for a bus ride. Now, the only problem was which bus to take.  
  
Stopping a nearby pedestrian, Chibi Usa asked cheerfully, "Excuse me! Do you know how to get to this place?"

---

The bus ride there was scary. This was her first time on the bus, and possibly her last. All kinds of people stared down at her with the weirdest stares. It was like how people use to look at her at home. As if they were thinking, "What is SHE doing here?" Relieved to finally get off the bus, Chibi Usa hopped off, and walked towards the direction of the Abazu apartments.   
  
The moment she got to the building, her mouth dropped open as she stared up at the tall building. She had seen taller buildings, but none in this era. "Sugoi..." she breathed. 'Does Mamoru-san really live here?' Double checking to make sure she was at the right place, she was amazed to see that this indeed was where Mamoru lived.   
  
He was the only person to help her now. She hardly knew him, but somewhere deep inside her, she felt like she knew him all her life. She felt warm, and safe when she was around him. Just like how Usagi held her. But Usagi wasn't there to help her anymore. It was all up to Mamoru to help her find Sailormoon, and the Ginzuishou of the past.   
  
Walking up towards the glass doors, Chibi Usa scrolled through the list of names. Since her Kanji knowledge wasn't that great, it was hard to find "Chiba" through the huge list. Scratching her head, Chibi Usa glanced at the paper hoping Motoki had wrote his name down, but no avail. 'Why didn't I bother to learn Kanji while I was in school?!'   
  
Just as she was about to give up and head back home, the glass door swung open. Looking up, her eyes widened when she saw the familiar face of Chiba Mamoru step through. "Mamoru-san!" she called. Equally surprised to see the little rabbit, Mamoru smiled down at her.  
  
"Chibi Usa-chan. What are you doing here?"   
  
"Are you... busy right now?" she asked, hope in her eyes. Mamoru looked at her, and then at his watch. 'Damn.. he is busy, isn't he?' "I... I guess I'll just come back later."  
  
"No, it's fine. I was just going to the library to get some books, but I can get them later." Looking around, Mamoru scratched his head. "Who'd you come with?"  
  
"Myself," she replied, looking down. Mamoru's eyes grew wide.   
  
"By yourself?! Chibi Usa, it's not safe to bus alone. Next time get your mom to give you a ride. Or ask Usagi to bring you." Still looking down, Chibi Usa tightened her hold on Luna P. Maybe the person she hoped would help her wouldn't help her after all. Mamoru squatted down to her level, and smiled sweetly at her. "But you're here for an urgent reason, right?" Chibi Usa nodded. "Let's go get some ice cream, and you can tell me whatever you wanted to say there, okay?"   
  
Chibi Usa grinned at him as he patted her head. "Thanks, Mamoru-san!"   
  
"Just call me Mamoru." Holding out his hand, Chibi Usa placed her smaller one into his, as he wrapped his larger one around hers. Standing up, Mamoru let go of the door behind him, and hand in hand, they made their way towards his bike. Through the whole way, the feeling of safeness and security never left her. There could be a storm with thunder and lightning happening right now, but as long as he held onto her hand, she felt safe.

---

"So, what was it that you wanted to talk to me about?" Mamoru asked. Instead of ice cream, the two decided to go to the McDonalds in Juuban and eat there. Sure it wasn't the best place to eat, but it was McDonalds! Everyone loves McDonalds. Chibi Usa placed her cheeseburger down on the tray and looked up at Mamoru.  
  
"I just... need your help."   
  
"Help?" He asked, while sipping his coke. "I'll help you, but why not ask your sister?"   
  
Recalling the words of the unknown person in Usagi's room, Chibi Usa looked to the side and sighed. "She won't help me." A little surprised at her response, Mamoru was about to reply, but Chibi Usa unknowingly cut him off. "So you'll help me?"   
  
"Yeah, of course. What do you need help with? Homework? Friends? Something troubling you?"   
  
"No, nothing like that... I'm looking for someone. I need her to help me. I'm looking for--" Chibi Usa was cut short when a high pitched scream filled the room. Mamoru instinctively stood up from his seat and stood in front of Chibi Usa with his arm out. "Mamoru?"   
  
"Chibi Usa. Stay behind me." Jumping off her seat, she did as she was told, and clung onto the back of his pant leg. In front of them, a dark purple haired woman in a light purple striped body suit with a dark purple tutu began to extract the energy of nearby people. "Who is that, Mamoru?" He remained silent, but the look in his eyes showed that this kind of thing was normal for him.   
  
The woman took sight of them, and smiled wickedly at them. "Is that you, Rabbit?"   
  
Chibi Usa gulped, and shut her eyes. 'Rabbit. That's what they called me.' As she slowly walked towards them, there was something that caught her eye. An object on the person's head, dangling from her ear. Chibi Usa squinted, trying to see what was catching her attention. And that's when she saw it.   
  
A black crystal earring, dangling from the woman's ear.   
  
Images of the black lightning striking her mother filled her head, and that's when the screaming started. All of a sudden, a high pitched screams escaped her mouth. Mamoru spun around to see what was wrong, but she didn't notice. All she could see were the memories of seeing her mother falling back from the strike of the black lightning. "Chibi Usa?!" She heard him call. "Chibi Usa?!"  
  
The woman in the tutu laughed. "I love hearing her scream. It's like music to my ears. Scream for me more, rabbit!" And with that, Mamoru quickly swept Chibi Usa in his arms and ran in the opposite direction. Her screaming stopped, but the images wouldn't leave. They never would. She watched as Mamoru dodged the kicks and punches the woman threw at him, but with the extra load in his arms, he wasn't able to dodge them all, and one kick managed to get him directly in his back.   
  
Both of them were sent flying outside the restaurant, skidding against the pavement. Near bystanders began to scream and run away as the woman in the tutu came out of the beaten down place. Chibi Usa looked up at Mamoru's face that was filled with pain. 'He protected me?' Suddenly a purple light caught her eye, and she began to scream again when she saw a large fire ball heading straight her way. Mamoru quickly got up and jumped out of the way, still holding her in his arms. "Mamoru!" she cried.   
  
The woman still laughed. "Will you give it up, Rabbit? There's no use in fighting."  
  
"Who are you?!" Mamoru demanded. Chibi Usa looked up at him, amazed that he was still trying to protect her. His clothes were ripped, his face was dirty, and she could see blood dripping from certain places. Turning back to the woman, she grinned at them.   
  
"I am the youngest of the four Ayakashi sisters, Koan! Hand over the Ginzuishou and I may spare your life." Koan threatened. Chibi Usa looked up at Mamoru as he stared down at her with shock. But before he could ask anything, Koan brought her arm out towards them and yelled, "Dark Fire!" A light purple fire blazed towards them, but Mamoru managed to jump out of the way. However, he was not prepared for the second attack, and had just enough time to turn his back towards it, so that he would absorb most of the assault.   
  
"Mamoru!!" Chibi Usa screamed, as Mamoru's own groan of pain joined hers. She watched in horror as Mamoru clenched his eyes and bit down on his lip as the pain ran through his back. Slowly, he fell to his knees, and gently dropped Chibi Usa to the ground, gasping for breath. Chibi Usa stared up at him in shock. "Mamoru... are you okay?!"   
  
Clenching his eyes again the pain surged through, he looked down at Chibi Usa. "Run!"  
  
"But, Mamoru--"  
  
"Run!!" he ordered. Taking one last look at him, she nodded, and got up and ran in the opposite direction, tears flowing from her eyes. That woman was with the people who attacked her home. The crystal earring proved it. Had they followed her to the past?   
  
Suddenly a figure appeared in front of her, stopping Chibi Usa in her tracks. Her eyes grew wide as she stared up at the woman in front of her. The blue short skirt, the red bow, the blue sailor collar, and two long golden pigtails, Chibi Usa knew that this could only be one person.   
  
"Sailormoon!" Running up towards her, she grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the direction she was running from. "You have to help him! She's attacking him, and he's hurt, you gotta--"  
  
"Who? Who's attacking who?" Sailormoon asked.   
  
"My friend Mamoru!" Chibi Usa looked up as a gasp escaped from Sailormoon's lips. "You have to help him! Please!"   
  
"Luna, watch over her," she ordered. And with that, the soldier ran as fast as she could towards the battle scene.  
  
"This way!" Chibi Usa looked down at the cat next to her, and was amazed to see the cat talk. There were only three cats she knew that could talk. She began to run in another direction with Chibi Usa following her, but not before taking one glance behind her. Praying to the Gods above, she hoped that Sailormoon would save Mamoru and keep him safe.


	4. What would Makochan do?

**Le Lapin Le Plus Rose (The Pinkest Bunny)  
**Written by: Neeko 

Sorry for the slow updates. School is sucking the life out of me, and I'm still figuring out what I'll be doing with this story, since every week a new PGSM episode comes out and reveals new information. " This chapter will be done in the POV's of Usagi. From now on, the plot will continue to advance, and don't worry! Things will eventually happen between Mamoru and Usagi! Be sure to check the Reponses if you left a question.

---  
Chapter 4  
What would Mako-chan do?  
---

Never before had she run as fast as she was running right now.

A minute dash to school compared nothing to the speed she was going at right now.

Even though Sailormoon had found Chibi Usa not to far from the battle scene, she wanted to get there as fast as she could. If Chibi Usa was right and Mamoru was here, he could be seriously hurt. 'I have to save him! I can't let anything happen to him, I can't...'

It was earlier today that Usagi had realized Chibi Usa had run away. That morning, she wasn't in her bed, and no where to be found in the house. Her mother and father went around desperately trying to find her. Even though Chibi Usa wasn't really their daughter, they didn't know that, and the thought of losing one of your own hurts more than you could imagine. So she set out to find the girl, only to receive a call on her Teletia-S from Luna that a youma was attacking a bunch of people.

She had expected that it had something to do with Chibi Usa, but not Mamoru. Anyone but Mamoru.

Finally arriving at the battle scene, Sailormoon was both relieved and worried not to find him anywhere. She scanned the place, and gasped when her eyes caught something. A tall, dark purple haired woman had her hands wrapped around the neck of a struggling man. Instinct took over, as she placed her hands around her tiara and pulled it off her forehead. Bringing her arm back to gain momentum, Sailormoon shouted, "Moon Tiara, Boomerang!" and thrusted the object towards the woman.

Unlike the youma's she had fought before, this one caught sight of this object, and tossed the man aside while also managing to jump out of the way. Amazed, and disappointed, that the youma managed to avoid her tiara, Sailormoon noticed something as the boomerang returned to her. It didn't look like the youma's she had fought before. This one was different. She looked... almost human.

Initiating her speech, Sailormoon extended her arm towards the woman. "Soldier of Love and Justice, I am the Pretty suited Sailor Soldier--"

Sailormoon stopped, as the dark purple haired woman smirked, sending chills down her spine. "Let me guess. YOU are the legendary Sailormoon?! I didn't think you'd look this pathetic in real life."

Resenting that comment, Sailormoon glared at her. Since when did youma's talk back to her? And how did she even know her name? "Who are you, youma?!" she demanded. "Just who is it you're working for?

"Not that I have to tell you, but I am the youngest of the four Ayakashi sisters, Kooan. Youma, I am not." Extending her own arm at her, Kooan evilly smiled. "Just hand over the Rabbit, and maybe I'll spare your life."

"Rabbit?" Sailormoon asked. Was she talking about her? 'She must mean Chibi Usa. If she's not a youma, then what is she?!' Before she could say anything, Sailormoon gasped as she saw dark purple fire shoot out from Kooan's hand, heading straight towards her. Quickly jumping out of the way, Sailormoon was amazed how close that came to scorching her. Just as she got her balance, Sailormoon was about to prepare her Moon Twilight Flash attack, but there was one thing she forgot to prepare herself for.

Sailormoon had underestimated the speed of Kooan, and didn't expect to see another attack of dark fire heading straight towards her. Her body becoming still, she knew that even if she jumped out of the way it wouldn't be quick enough. Instead, she held up her arms, waiting for the burning sensations to arrive.

Instead of a scorching feeling, she felt something crash into her. Eyes shooting open, she felt herself get thrown several feet backwards, and although her behind hurt like a mother when she fell to the ground, she was thankful the fire didn't burn her. Whatever had pushed her out of the way had their arms around her, as if they were protecting her, as they began to roll across the ground. Finally coming to a stop, Sailormoon's eyes looked up at her savior, and gasped.

"Are you... okay?" The person asked inbetween breaths. His brown, chestnut bangs fell from his mesmerizing eyes, as a relieved smile began to show itself on his lips. Arms still around her, Sailormoon was completely shocked to see Chiba Mamoru on top of her. Before she could say a thing, a groan of pain shot through his back, and he threw himself off her. Shaking his jacket off, he tossed it aside, and flinched as his back ached in pain. Sailormoon's eyes followed the jacket, and gasped when she saw that it had caught on fire.

'Did the fire get him?' she wondered. Mamoru looked up at her, eyes clenched. "You're hurt..."

"I'm fine. Get rid of that thing. Hurry!" he ordered. Nodding, Sailormoon stood up from where she sat, and summoned her moon stick wand to appear in front of her. Grasping hold of it, she pointed it directly at Kooan, who was directly in front of her, and shouted the words, "Moon... Twilight... Flash!!" Spheres of pink and white light shot out from the wand towards the woman. She screamed as the light began to purify her, and in a matter of moments, she had completely disappeared, only leaving her black, crystal earring behind.

Falling to her knees in exhaust, Sailormoon began to steadily catch her breath. Eyes catching sight of the black earring, she grabbed it and looked down at it. 'What is this? Who was that woman?' She was certainly stronger than all the other youma's she fought. 'She didn't call herself a youma. She definitely wasn't one. She had asked for the Rabbit... what could they want with Chibi Usa?'

"Sailormoon." The familiar deep voice brought her out of her daze, and her head spun towards Mamoru's direction. "Did you see... a little girl run your way?" he asked, his voice displaying the discomfort he was feeling. Sailormoon stared at him in awe. Here he was, probably seriously injured, and he was worrying about Chibi Usa?

"We need to get you to a doctor--" she started, and reached out towards him, but Mamoru gently swatted her hand away.

"Did you?" he asked again. A little hurt that he had rejected her help, Sailormoon nodded. "Is she safe?"

"I showed her to a safe place. She'll be fine." Sailormoon watched as Mamoru slowly stood up, face clenching every time he moved. His eyes shot open as a jolt of pain ran through his left leg. Just when it looked like he was about to fall over, Sailormoon shot up to help him walk. She grabbed for his hand and placed it around her shoulder so that he could place his weight on her. All at the same time, ignoring the butterflies flying about in the pit of her stomach.

[ doki, doki, doki, doki... ]

Sailormoon blushed slightly. 'My heart is beating fast again...' Innocently looking up at him through his bangs, she slowly wrapped her other arm around his waist to support him. Each movement closer to him made her heart beat faster, and faster...

"Can you lead me to her?" he asked. A pang of disappointment nagged at Sailormoon. Here she was, hormones going crazy, and there he was, worrying about a little girl, not even at all affected by the closeness of their bodies. Shaking her head and telling herself that it didn't matter, Sailormoon placed on her biggest smile nodded. "Thank you."

Taking slow steps at a time, the entire walk to where she had last seen Luna was a long one. Throughout the whole time, she kept thinking to herself how incredibly unselfish he was. Instead of going to a hospital, he wanted to check up on Chibi Usa. Even if it could have been serious burns. Putting himself through that pain, the torture... all to see if she was okay? Never had she seen a fatherly side to this guy. Never had she seen such a nice side to this guy. All for that kid.

Jealousy began to creep up behind her shoulder.

A groan from Mamoru brought Sailormoon back to her senses, preventing an inner battle from happening yet again. "Are you okay?" she asked. He weakly nodded, and continued his pace. Holding on tighter, Sailormoon felt her cheeks flush red. "Umm... I just wanted to thank you, for saving me. Kind of ironic, since I'm usually the one saving people," she teased. No response came from him, making Sailormoon feel incredibly embarrassed. Sighing in defeat, she decided to keep quiet.

Moments later, the familiar ring of her cell phone ran through the silent air. Grabbing it with her free hand, she placed it to her ear. "Hai?"

"Sailormoon? Are you alright?" Luna asked.

"Yeah. Are you with Chibi Usa?" she asked, completely forgetting the fact that she wasn't supposed to know who she was! Hoping Mamoru didn't catch it, she quickly tried to cover it up. "Is that her name?"

"Yes. We're at the place where we met up. Are you coming?"

"Yep. I'll be there in a few minutes." Turning off the phone and placing it in her pocket, Sailormoon glanced at Mamoru, who was oddly smirking. "Why are you smiling like that?" she asked. He looked up at her, and shook his head.

"Nothing."

Moments later, they both arrived at the designated area. Chibi Usa stood there holding onto the cat sphere, with Luna beside her. The moment the child's eyes caught sight of Mamoru, she quickly ran up towards him, calling his name. "Mamoru!" Smile on his lips, Mamoru pulled away from Sailormoon's arms, and fell to his knees. Chibi Usa stopped right in front of him, eyes wide with alarm. "Are you okay? What happened?!"

"I'm fine. Just a little tired. Are you okay?" she nodded. He reassured her with his warming smile, who in return, smiled back.

"I'll bring her home." Sailormoon spoke up, trying to hold back the jealousy monster that wanted to come out. "Are you sure you're okay? Your ankle may have--" She cut herself off, when she saw Mamoru stand up with ease.

"Just make sure she gets home safe." Mamoru turned around, but stopped when a small hand grabbed his hand. Looking behind him, a worried Chibi Usa looked up at him.

"Get better." With that, she let go of his hand, and Mamoru began to walk away, slowly disappearing into the horizon. Sailormoon stared down at Chibi Usa with a small frown. It was silly to be jealous of her, but the way Mamoru would look at her, and the way he worried about her...

'It doesn't matter!' She told herself. She watched as Chibi Usa stared after Mamoru, probably twice as worried as he was. Squatting down to her level, she held out her gloved hand towards the child and smiled. "Ne, let's take you--" Her words were cut off once again, when Chibi Usa threw herself into her arms. Surprised at this sudden move, Sailormoon was unsure of what to do as Chibi Usa's small arms wrapped around her neck. "Chibi Usa-chan?"

"Sailormoon!" She cried, and clung tighter to the soldier of justice. Sailormoon gasped as she felt a warm wetness fall onto her neck in tiny droplets. Was she crying? "I'm so glad you're here...!" Unsure of what she was to do, Sailormoon glanced at Luna, who was looking equally surprised.

"What's the matter?"

"I've been looking for you... so you can help her. So you can save her, save him, save them all! Help me, Sailormoon. Help me save my parents... help me..." Her crying increased by the second. All Sailormoon felt that she could do was hold her and let her cry it all out.

'There's no way she can be an enemy. I don't care what Luna says. I'm going to help her, no matter what.' "Shh..." She whispered to the child, stroking her back, like her mother did when she was younger. "I'll help you, don't worry... I help you." She listened as Chibi Usa's cries began to slowly die down, until they stopped completely. Minutes later, her snifflings stopped, and Chibi Usa went limp in her arms. 'Did she fall asleep?'

"I think she's asleep, Sailormoon." Standing up with the rabbit in her arms, Sailormoon nodded. "Look, I know what you're thinking and--"

"She's not an enemy. I'm helping her. With or without your help."

"She's looking after the Ginzuishou! She could be a part of the enemies' plan, she could--"

"Luna. I already told you. I'm helping her."

With that being said, the walk back home was done in silence.

---

Tucking Chibi Usa into her bed, Usagi smoothed out the blanket, making sure everything was comfortable. 'Odd, that's what my mother use to do to me.' Sighing, Usagi looked around the room, and was marveled at how identical it looked to hers. Did she base the layout of the room on hers? A little flattered, Usagi smiled. Chibi Usa was really a Chibi of herself....

As she sat up, Usagi flinched as a small pain ran through her backside. The pain suddenly triggered the memory of Mamoru. 'I wonder how he's doing? Should I check up on him?' It would seem too obvious if she went to visit him now, and probably annoying. She remembered seeing his jacket catch fire, but it didn't seem like he was burned. 'Besides, how could I visit him when I don't even know where he lives?'

Usagi frowned, placing her chin in her hand, as she looked down at the sleeping form. How did she capture Mamoru's heart so easily? Was it because if her innocence? Her cuteness? Her childlike state? Why did it even bother her? Reaching out to brush the bangs away from her eyes, Usagi let out a weary sigh. "Who are you, little rabbit?"

"Ma...ma..." she whispered, which frightened Usagi, who pulled back quickly. Shaking her head, Usagi decided to give the kid a good day's rest. She got up and walked out the door, closing it behind her. Leaning against it, Usagi closed her eyes and let out another sigh as memories of the day's events came back to her.

Looking down at the bruises on her hands, she wondered how Mamoru was feeling. 'Is he hurt? Was he burned? He seemed fine, but...' Chiba Mamoru had saved her life today. If he hadn't run in to save her, she would be dead right now. 'What do you say to someone who did that for you?' But then again, he didn't know it was Usagi. Would he have done it differently if he knew?

Her heart skipped a beat. She didn't want to think of that. It didn't matter that he didn't know she was Usagi, he saved her life, and that's the end of it. Usagi was in debt to him, as much as she hated it. 'I'll check on him tomorrow after school. Would he be at the Crown after what happened? Hmm, I should make something for him! As a thank you present.' But what would you give to your worst enemy who also saved your life?

'What would Ami-chan do?' Usagi pondered. '"Give him a book to read! Everyone loves books," is what she would say. What about Rei-chan? "I wouldn't give a boy anything."' Scratching her head, Usagi groaned. Her friends weren't very helpful in these situations. 'What about Mako-chan... "Bake him something!" is what she would say!' Snapping her fingers, Usagi decided to bake him some home made cookies. Leave it to Mako-chan to help her with her problems. Rushing down the stairs, she made her way to the kitchen to prepare for the delicious cookies.

School ended, and Usagi made her way side by side with her friends Ami and Makoto towards the Crown. Usagi stared down happily at her bag of cookies, as Makoto and Ami eyed her suspiciously. "Is that for him?" Makoto asked, slyness cleverly hidden in her voice.

"Him?" Usagi asked.

"Chiba Mamoru," she replied.

"Mmmhmm. He saved my life, so I thought I'd do something for him. I thought of what you'd do in this situation, Mako-chan!" she explained while smiling at her. "So I made these cookies last night."

"But Usagi-chan, what are you going to say? Mamoru-san didn't know it was you." Ami asked. Usagi held up her finger and wagged it gently.

"Well, I thought about it last night. I was going to say that Chibi Usa-chan told me what happened, and so we baked him cookies for what he did!" Usagi explained. Makoto gave her another sly grin.

"Oh, so you really thought about this, didn't you?" she teased, her slyness becoming painfully obvious. Usagi pouted, and hit her in the arm gently.

"You're so mean, Mako-chan!" she wailed. In return, Makoto just laughed.

"Speaking of which, what happened to Chibi Usa-chan?" Ami asked.

"I brought her back home. She's been sleeping ever since. She's home with my mom. I've decided, I'm going to help her. I'm pretty sure she's not an enemy. There's lots to tell you guys today when we get to the Crown!" Usagi explained and began to quicken her pace. Makoto grinned again at her, and made another sly comment.

"You're so eager to get to the Crown. I wonder why?" And with that, Makoto laughed and began to run away. Usagi chased after, yelling at her which left Ami to follow them, laughing and giggling.

Sooner then expected, the three made had made their way towards the Crown. Standing outside the doors, Usagi swallowed a large gulp of air. Her heart began to beat faster then usual. 'Why am I nervous? It's just cookies... it's not like anything is going to happen.' Still, her heart didn't listen to her. 'Yosh...!' Forcing her legs to move, she stepped through the automatic doors of the Crown, with Makoto and Ami behind her. She immediately searched the room for her enemy, and was disappointed not to see him anywhere.

"Usagi-chan!" A familiar voice called to her. Usagi turned her head towards Motoki, who she didn't even see until now. His face seemed happier then usual, as the three walked up to the counter. "How are you girls?" Not even listening to what he was saying, Usagi continued to search the room for Mamoru. Makoto saw this, and decided to step in.

"Good! Just here for our daily karaoke!" she beamed. Motoki smiled, but gasped right after when something caught his eye. Makoto followed his glance, and saw he was staring at Usagi's bag of cookies.

"Is that... is it....?!" He tried to say, but the words didn't come out. Usagi smiled, and brought them up.

"They're for Mamoru-san!" she exclaimed. Although it was oblivious to Usagi, Makoto and Ami both saw Motoki's heart instantly break into a million pieces. Motoki tried to keep on his smile, but to the soldier of thunder and water, they could see right through it. "Is he here?"

"Yeah... he's in the back. You want me to--" But by the time he finished his first sentence, Usagi was gone. Motoki sighed and hung his head. Leaning over, Makoto gave him a pat on the shoulder.

"Are you okay, Motoki-kun?" she asked with concern. Motoki lifelessly nodded, and sighed. "Usagi-chan can be dense at times but--"

"I'll be okay. I knew it was pointless to go after her, but I thought maybe..." Resting on his elbows on the counter, he stared down at Kamekichi. "I'll always have you, ne?" Ami and Makoto exchanged odd looks, as Motoki began to finger the glass.

Meanwhile, Usagi walked towards the back employee lounge. Wanting to surprise him, she waited for him to step through the door, and she would yell SURPRISE! and give him the cookies. Peering through the door, she scanned the room for him, and gasped at what she saw.

Mamoru was there, sweater above his head, revealing his muscular back to her. It wasn't the fact that he was almost half naked that shocked her, it was the dark purple and red burn she saw, taking up almost half of his back. Covering her mouth with her hand, she stared at him with wide eyes. 'He was burned!' Her grip on the cookies loosened, as the bag fell to the floor with a crash. Mamoru spun around and caught sight of Usagi. "Kobuta?"

Revealing his entire front to her for a few seconds before he pulled his sweater down, Usagi felt her cheeks become incredibly hot, as the sight of his muscular chest and stomach came into view. If she wasn't so shocked at the burn on his back, she would have fallen to the floor because her knees would have become incredibly weak. Completely lost in a daze, she didn't even notice as Mamoru began to walk up to her. Bending down to pick up the bag, he looked at the front, which had a tag with his name on it. "For me?" he asked.

"Y-yeah... for, um... Chi... Chi..." Coughing, Usagi tried again. "Thanks, for saving Chibi Usa-chan from that monster. She told me about it last night when she came home, so we made you cookies." As he began to open it, Usagi bit down on her lip. "Sorry if they're broken, I didn't mean to drop it."

Mamoru picked up a heart shaped cookie and stared at it. "So how is Chibi Usa-chan? Do you know how she got home?" Usagi froze at his question. How could she answer that?

"Umm, she just came to the house. Apparently Sailormoon brought her home, but I don't know if she was just dreaming that," she quickly fibbed. Staring up at Mamoru through her eyelashes, he looked as if he wasn't buying it. "She's fine. She's sleeping, probably tired from it all."

"Really? That's good. I hope she's better." Raising the cookie to eye level, he squinted his eyes at it.

"What are you doing?" Usagi asked.

"Trying to see if it's edible," he joked. Usagi pouted, and hit him gently on the arm. He laughed at her, as he popped a cookie in his mouth. "Wow, it's really good! I'm amazed Kobuta, you can cook!"

"Moou, you're so mean!" she whined, hitting him again. And after that, he did it again. His lips formed into a sweet smile, which made Usagi's heart flutter. She felt her knees go wobbly, and her legs become putty. Eyes not being able to pull away, face turning red, Usagi felt her body warm up, as she watched him put more cookies into his mouth. For some reason, she felt happy that Mamoru enjoyed her cookies.

"Anyways, I better go start working. Thanks for the cookies." But before Mamoru moved, Usagi grabbed onto his sleeve.

"Wait! Umm... I just... I..." Usagi stammered. 'Baka! Quit stuttering!' "I... I hope your back gets better. I saw the burn you got." Mamoru looked down at her and grinned.

"Thanks, Usagi." And with that, he walked past her, leaving a very confused and red rabbit behind him. Reaching up to touch her flushed face, Usagi gulped. Did he just call her by her real name? No Kobuta? Just... Usagi?

'Finally, the jerk got my name right!' She exclaimed. 'I guess I should start calling him Mamoru?' Since when did they get close enough for them to call each other by their first names? Usagi made her way towards the secret meeting place, but not before taking one last glance at Mamoru. 'Mamoru... what are you doing to me?'

---

"I feel it...."

"Feel what?"

"...the crystal... the Ginzuishou. It's nearby, Artemis. I can feel it."

"But it's not time yet! They're not supposed to find it right--"

"It's coming, whether we're ready or not."

"I guess we'll have to change our plans, right Minako?"

"I guess we will."

---

"You've heard the news, I assume?" The silver haired prince asked from his dark throne, while twirling the liquid in his cup. A white haired woman in a blue, revealing suit, appeared in front of him, bowing.

"Kooan is dead. I, Berthier, will find the rabbit."

"Find her. But remember, do not harm Serenity. She is mine, and mine alone to deal with."

"Of course, Prince Demand." And with that, Berthier vanished. Prince Demand chuckled, as he stared down at an image of Chibi Usa.

"Just wait rabbit. I'll get you, and the Ginzuishou. This world will be mine."


	5. The two sweetest syllables

**Le Lapin Le Plus Rose (The Pinkest Bunny)**  
Written by: Neeko   
  
Sorry for the slow updates. School is sucking the life out of me, and I'm still figuring out what I'll be doing with this story, since every week a new PGSM episode comes out and reveals new information. " This chapter will be done in the POV's of Usagi. From now on, the plot will continue to advance, and don't worry! Things will eventually happen between Mamoru and Usagi! Be sure to check the Reponses if you left a question.  
  
---  
Chapter 5  
The two sweetest syllables  
---  
  
Mamoru stared intently at the small paper bag painted with little white bunnies that sat on the counter in front of him. It was only a few minutes ago that Tsukino Usagi had handed it to him, and ever since then, a train load of thoughts and emotions ran through his mind. For some reason, he was incredibly happy at that moment. Why did receiving cookies from Usagi make him so happy? Why did it make his heart soar like it was right now? It wasn't the fact that someone took the time out of their busy schedule to make something for him, but the fact that it was Usagi... He knew the only reason why she did it was that she was only trying to repay him for saving her life, but somewhere deep inside wondered if that was really true.   
  
"You sure have a cheery smile on your face." Motoki said, as he was returning from the employee lounge. Although Motoki had said it in his normal voice, Mamoru could sense a hidden bitterness and anger dwelling in each word. Mamoru felt his eyes on him, as he desperately tried to avoid contact. "Who'd you get the cookies from?" he asked.   
  
Mamoru tried to keep is cool as the interrogation began. Folding his arms across his chest, he leaned against the back wall, looking away. "Tsukino... Usagi."   
  
"Ahh," he replied with a nod. Mamoru watched him from the corner of his eye, as Motoki walked over to the fish tank with Kamekichi. He watched with suspicion as Motoki began to absently hum some karaoke tune, while trying to keep himself busy. Motoki went from feeding Kamekichi, to writing downtimes, to checking receipts, to checking on Kamekichi, to writing down times, to checking the receipts again, and then back again to checking on Kamekichi...   
  
And all of it was done in silence.   
  
Mamoru glanced at his watch and was slightly amazed that this continued for almost 7 minutes. Finally, he was unable to stand it any longer. "Motoki, it's not what you think." Mamoru finally spoke up, trying to reason.  
  
"Hmm? What's not?" Motoki asked, acting as if he didn't know what was going on.   
  
"There's a reason why she baked them for me. I saved her sister yesterday, and Usagi's just trying to pay me back for it. That's all." Mamoru stared at him again, hoping for some sort of reaction, but the boy was stubborn. He didn't even bother to look up at all, and just mindlessly went through his routine. Frustrated, Mamoru scoffed. "Fine, believe what you want to--"  
  
"So... that's why she made you cookies?" Motoki finally asked, as his head slowly rose up and turned to look at Mamoru, who nodded.   
  
"Of course, baka. Why else would she make these for me?!" Motoki let out a sigh of relief.   
  
"I'm sorry Mamoru. I just had a hunch that she liked you, and then with that... just kind of set me off." Mamoru felt his cheeks start to grow warm and quickly looked away before Motoki got a chance to see. Usagi? Liking him? Impossible. They were mortal enemies. They argued like there was no tomorrow! He'd call her Kobuta, she'd get all angry and pout, he'd say some witty comment, she'd get all angry and pout, he'd note to himself how incredibly cute she looked like that and continued to make her angry and pout and--  
  
'Hey, wait a minute.'  
  
That wasn't the reason why he made fun of her, was it? Not wanting to know the answer, Mamoru answered Motoki. "Why would she like me? I make fun of her all the time. If anything, she should be hating me right now."  
  
"Well, for the past few days you guys have been getting pretty close. Calling each other by your first names, not arguing every second... I just thought for a moment there that you liked her back, too, and I guess I got really jealous..."   
  
If Mamoru had been drinking something, he would have spat it all over the counter right there. Instead, he managed to choke on his on saliva as he tried to say a response to that. Mamoru bent over, hacking and coughing, trying to get that tiny droplet of saliva out of his windpipe. 'Me?! Like Usagi?!! Impossible! Sure there were those weird feelings whenever they were around, but that doesn't mean that I LIKE her. Sure, she's likable, and under normal circumstances I would go for her--Wait, did I just say that?!' Finally clearing his throat, Mamoru began to breathe in heavy breaths, and patted his chest. Realizing that he had not yet answered Motoki's question, he quickly scurried for a response.  
  
"Pfffff," was the first sound that came out of his mouth. 'Pfft?! Pfft was the BEST you could do?!!' Shaking it off, he shook his head. 'Of course I don't like her, or ever will. It's wrong to go after your best friend's crush, and plus, I already have someone!' Sometimes he would forget that he was already dedicated to someone, which was a horrible thing to do. "You know that I would never do that to... her."   
  
Motoki smacked his head, face suddenly filling with guilt. "I'm sorry. I should have never thought that. Of course you would never cheat on her. That's the silliest thing of me to even think of." He smiled towards Mamoru's direction, which made Mamoru smile back. "You know, sometimes I forget you're engaged."   
  
Mamoru sighed, as he stole a glance at the karaoke hallway. "So do I, Motoki. So do I."

---  
  
Usagi hopped down the stairs that leading into their secret meeting place underneath The Crown. Waiting patiently was her friends, Mizuno Ami, Makoto Kino, Luna who were all turned their heads towards her as she entered. "Gomen, minna! I had to take care of some business," she apologized as she got into her seat. She looked up and noticed that someone was missing. "Where's Rei-chan?"   
  
"She'll arrive soon. She had to stay for cleaning duties," Luna replied.   
  
"Luna told us that we have a new enemy on our hands," Makoto started, jumping right into business. Usagi hadn't told them yet about the 'new enemy,' and this was the first time ever discussing it with them. Usagi nodded, starring up at the brunette.   
  
"Well, I'm not sure if it was necessarily a 'new enemy.' Her name was Kooan, and she definitely was not a youma. She could be a part of the group behind the youma's, though." She reached into her pocket, and pulled out a crescent moon earring, with a large, black crystal dangling from it. The four girls stared attentively at the mysterious object. "She asked for the 'Rabbit,' which I assumed was Chibi Usa."   
  
Makoto reached out to the earring, and held the dangling crystal in her hand. "I wonder what they'd want with Chibi Usa." Silence plagued the room, as none of the girls could come up with an answer. Chibi Usa was truly a mystery. There's was no mistake in Usagi's mind that she's not an enemy, but it still didn't answer who she was.   
  
"Luna..." Ami finally spoke up, and looked towards the feline plushy. "Could she be... the princess?" The girl's eyes all widened at the same time, surprised that neither of them had thought of that idea. Usagi tapped her chin, amazed at Ami's hypothesis. It was so obvious now, and it's amazing how no one came up with that idea until now. Luna placed her paw to her face and rubbed it.  
  
"Hmm... she could be. The enemies are looking for her, and she is looking for the Ginzuishou. I just never imagined she'd be at such a young age..."   
  
"It could be a decoy." Makoto suggested. "To throw the enemies off, but I think they're wiser than that."   
  
"She could still be an enemy," Luna reminded, intentionally looking towards Usagi. Usagi caught her stare, and frowned back. They had gone over this a billion times before. Chibi Usa couldn't be an enemy. Sure, she thought that in the beginning, but now it was impossible for her to be one. Maybe it was her gut feeling, but a voice inside of her assured her she wasn't the enemy.   
  
"She can't be, Luna. I know it."   
  
"We can't rule that out. Our enemy is clever, and can come up with tricks that can easily foil us."  
  
"She can't be."  
  
"They're manipulating your emotions for kids. They could be trying to make you trust Chibi Usa, and attack you when you least expect it."  
  
"Impossible!"   
  
"Which is what is happening right now! You're falling right into their trap and--"  
  
That did it. Usagi had enough. She stood up from her seat and slammed her palms on the table with such force, it almost tipped it over. Her eyes narrowed into angry slits at her friends, as an inner anger started to boil inside of her. She felt an inner darkness start to build up in the center of her heart, growing bigger and bigger by the moment. "SHUT UP!" She screamed at them. Suddenly, the room went quiet. The three girls stared at Usagi with complete shock at what they had just seen.   
  
Usagi suddenly gasped, as the anger building up inside her began to slowly disappear. She looked at the girls in equal shock, completely surprised at what she just did. "I..."   
  
"Usagi-chan, are you okay?" Ami asked with concern. She reached out towards her, but Usagi backed away, scared that she might do something else again.   
  
"Ahh, yeah, I'm fine... bad day... umm... I better go." Usagi quickly reached out and grabbed the crystal earring, along with her bag and jacket. She quickly exited the room in silence. The girls exchanged concerned looks as the door closed.  
  
"Minna... we have to watch over Usagi-chan. This could be a trick of the enemy." The two nodded in union. Suddenly, the door opened again, and the girls looked up hoping it was Usagi, but instead it was Rei walking down the stairs, with the weirdest look on her face. It was as if she was trying to figure something out. "What's wrong, Rei-chan?" Luna asked.   
  
"I felt an evil presence coming from this room, but suddenly it disappeared. It's strange. Such a large quantity of evil, and it suddenly disappeared." Rei replied. Looking up at the table, she raised an eyebrow. "Where's Usagi?"

---

As Usagi stepped out of the room, she stared down at her shaking hands with shock. 'Why did I suddenly explode like that?' It was unlike her to get angry over such a thing. She remembered feeling that darkness inside of her growing. It was frightening, to say the least. At that moment, her heard started to get a little dizzy. Holding it in one hand, Usagi closed her eyes, hoping it would go away. 'What's wrong with me?' She felt her knees become suddenly weak, so she held onto the wall for support. 'Someone help me...'   
  
"Usagi!!" A familiar voice called to her. Usagi slowly looked up at the person calling out to her, relieved that it was Mamoru running up to her. "Usagi!" he called again. "Are you okay?"   
  
'No.' Usagi nodded weakly. Everything about her wasn't right. Her head was pounding like a sledgehammer, yet at the same time was as light as a feather. Not to mention, her legs had become putty. "I'm... fine...." Suddenly, she felt a pair of warm, large arms wrap around her, right at the moment where her legs had given up on her. Her eyes widened, as the warmth of Mamoru filled every square inch of her, holding her in a blanket of heat. If she wasn't feeling so damn dizzy right now, this would have been such a wonderful moment.   
  
"You're not okay." Pressing his hand to her forehead, Usagi watched as his eyes grew huge. "You're head is burning! Here." He carefully let go of Usagi, and turned around. Squatting, Mamoru held his arms out backwards, and motioned for her to jump on his back. Under normal circumstances, Usagi would have declined, but right now, she wouldn't have been able to make it outside. She felt like her whole body was on fire, but she had thought it was because of Mamoru. Wrapping her arms around his neck, Mamoru wrapped his around her legs, and stood up, holding her on his back in a piggy back fashion.   
  
Usagi closed her eyes, a small smile forming on her lips. He was so warm, and he felt so nice. She felt too dizzy and sick to be embarrassed. Right now all she could think of was Mamoru and how wonderful he felt. Inhaling his spicy and rosy scent, Usagi felt herself sinking deeper and deeper into the darkness. It was official: Mamoru was a drug. A wonderful, intoxicating drug...   
  
Her head rested in the crook of his neck, lips mere millimeters away from his salty skin. Her hot breath brushed against it with every exhale. Usagi was completely unaware of what the heat was doing to Mamoru. She felt him shiver, but she missed the moments where he would close his eyes, taking in the feeling.   
  
"M-motoki... I'm going to bring her home. I think she has a fever." Usagi didn't hear the rest of the conversation. She had fallen into a deep slumber, completely intoxicated by the warmth and scent of Mamoru. She whispered softly onto his neck, before falling asleep.   
  
"Mamoru..."

---  
  
Usagi's eyes slowly fluttered open as she felt a wet and cold sensation on her forehead. Soon, the familiar sites of a bunny filled room came into focus, allowing her to come to a conclusion that she was indeed home. Placing a head on her forehead, she realized that it was a wet face towel that woke her up. Closing her eyes again, Usagi sighed. Was everything just a dream, then? Was she dreaming that Mamoru had carried her away into the sunset? Did she dream holding onto him so tightly? Did she dream it all?  
  
She was feeling a lot better. Whether or not it was a dream, it seemed like only a few minutes ago she was feeling like crap. Never had she wanted to feel like that ever again. But, for some reason, she felt... fine. Nothing about her felt wrong. It was like... '...I dreamt it all.' Sighing, Usagi placed her hands over her eyes, slightly relieved that it indeed was just a dream, because if it wasn't, boooy would she feel embarrassed.   
  
"Huh. No mistake this is your room."   
  
Usagi's eyes bolted wide open at the sound of that masculine voice. Her vision still covered by her hand, it only took the simple movement of her hand to answer her questions. If she saw didn't see Mamoru, then it was all a dream. If she did, that would mean it wasn't a dream, and everything that happened was real, and that he was in her room, and that he looking at her right now, and that...   
  
"Please be a dream, please be a dream..." She whispered out loud. Suddenly, she felt a larger warm hand wrap gently around her wrist and pulled it away from her eyes. Usagi looked up as a pair of dark brown eyes stared into hers, covered slightly by bangs. Hovering incredibly close above her was indeed, Chiba Mamoru. That meant, everything had indeed happened. He did carry her home! With her other free hand, Usagi pulled the blankets over her nose, trying to hide the blush that decided to creep its way up her cheeks.   
  
"Sorry to disappoint you." His traditional smirk appeared on his lips. "How are you feeling?" He asked, concern in his voice. Usagi never tore her eyes away from him, despite the embarrassment she was feeling.   
  
"Better. Actually, I'm feeling... really good. It's almost as if... it never--" She stopped through her sentence and jumped slightly when Mamoru pulled the blanket down and placed his hand fully on her cheek. She tried her best to hide the tension she was feeling right now, and if Mamoru really looked at her, he would be able to tell. Removing his hand from her cheek, he continued to look down at her.  
  
"You look better. Your cheeks are still pretty warm, though." Usagi laughed nervously, and looked away from his piercing stare. "Are you hungry?" Coincidentally at that moment, a small rumble was heard. Just as Usagi tried to think of an excuse, she stopped when she saw Mamoru smile at that.   
  
'That smile...' She loved seeing that smile. Feeling her face warm up again, Usagi pulled the blanket back over her nose. "Umm, yeah, I guess I am." What she was expecting was for him to bring the plate of food to her. What she WASN'T expecting was him to completely pull the blanket off of her. Before Usagi could do anything, he placed his arms under her knees and behind her back, and lifted her up from the bed. Instinctively, she threw her arms around his neck, just in case he decided to drop her. "Mamoru! I can walk! You don't have to carry me!"   
  
"You could hardly walk before. I'm not going to take the chances of you falling down the stairs."

It was... weird, to say the least. Mamoru carrying her away in his arms, like a prince caring his princess, who had awaken from a deep sleep. She did feel incredibly warm, but she knew it wasn't because of that 'fever.' Although she was unable to look at him while he carried her, she would steal glances here and there. From this angle, Usagi could see his chiseled jawbone, and his stunning profile, which was something Usagi never noticed before. From this angle... he looked like... he looked like...  
  
...'A real prince.' Usagi felt her heartbeat increase by the minute. Why was it every time she thought or even looked at Mamoru, her heart would react so wildly to it?  
  
Finally reaching the dinner table, Mamoru carefully placed Usagi in one of the chairs. "A-ariga..to..." She quietly thanked, looking down at her lap. She looked up through her eyelashes and watched as Mamoru took the seat in front of her. On the table were three bowels of ramen noodles. "Did you cook this?"  
  
"Would it be surprising if I did?" He asked with a smirk. "Chibi Usa-chan did. She wanted to help. I was going to make something else, but she insisted on ramen noodles..."   
  
Usagi smiled, as she broke her chopsticks. "I love ramen."   
  
"Really? Chibi Usa said her mother loved it. Maybe that's why she made it." Mamoru thought aloud. Usagi paused, taking in Mamoru's sentence. She knew for a fact that her mother hated ramen. Was Chibi Usa talking about her real mother? Stirring the noodles slightly with her chopsticks, Usagi watched as the steam raised up into the air, heating her face up even more. Just as she was about to take a slurp of it, she stopped when she heard a pair of feet scramble inside.   
  
"Hey! Usagi! Don't eat without me!" Chibi Usa pouted. Usagi looked up at Chibi Usa. Her hair was down, and fell down to her shoulders. In her pink bunny PJs, she quickly ran up to the seat next to her and propped herself on it. "Baka Usagi, eating dinner without me!"   
  
"Dinner?!" Usagi's eyes zoomed in on the clock, and gasped when she saw it was already 9. She had left the Crown around 4, which meant... she had been out for 5 hours. 'Did that mean... Mamoru... stayed that whole time?' Not wanting to find out the answer, Usagi quickly greeted, "Itadakimasu," and began to slurp the noodles up with her chopsticks, staring down at the food unable to look up at Mamoru.   
  
"Itadakimasu." Mamoru and Chibi Usa both greeted, and joined in on the noodles. Throughout the whole dinner it was Mamoru and Chibi Usa who kept up the conversation. Usagi was amazed how easily those two were able to talk to each other. She knew the moment a conversation would start between the two, they'd be hurling insults at each other, or Usagi's heart would be racing too fast to even say a word! A part of her was somewhat jealous of them. In only a matter of days, the two had gotten as close as best friends. She knew it was silly to be jealous of their relationship, but....   
  
"Usagi. How are you feeling?" Chibi Usa asked, throwing Usagi out of her daze. She paused her eating, and looked at Chibi Usa.  
  
"Good. Great, actually. It feels like I was never sick." She watched as Chibi Usa let out a sigh of relief.   
  
"Good! I was really scared when Mamoru came here with you on his back. You looked really horrible. Your skin was so pale, and your face was so hot! Good thing Mamoru was there to save you!" Chibi Usa exclaimed, and continued to eat her noodles. Usagi stole a glance at Mamoru, who amazingly enough, he looked just as shy as she was right now. With his head faced down, he continued to eat his noodles in silence.   
  
"It was nothing." He muttered under his breath. Amused, Usagi rested her chin in the palm of her hand and smiled at him. He slowly looked up, and caught Usagi's smile towards him. And with two words, Usagi spoke sweetly to him,  
  
"Thank you."

---  
  
Even though the dinner had ended a while ago, the three stayed at the table and began to talk about all sorts of things. Usagi found herself joining in on the conversation and realized it indeed was possible to talk to Mamoru in a humane matter. Sure it only lasted a few minutes before they would break out into teasing, but now, after all that's happened, it seemed so natural to Usagi.   
  
Their topics varied from all sorts of things. School, jokes, gossip, anything that wanted to be brought up was brought up. Usagi watched Chibi Usa with the most amazed look on her face. It was only just yesterday where she felt Chibi Usa break down in her arms. Never had she felt such sadness and sorrow that she felt from that little child. No person of that age should ever go through what she had seen. But here she was, happy, smiling, as if whatever happened to her never happened.   
  
"Ne, Chibi Usa-chan," Mamoru asked. "How are you feeling?"   
  
"Me?" She asked, pointing at herself. "I'm... feeling good."  
  
"Must have been really cool to have Sailormoon bring you home. I'm sure lots of the kids will be jealous of you!" He teased. Chibi Usa nodded, trying to hide the pain that was trying to come out.   
  
"Yeah. I wonder how she knew where I lived. Usagi, what'd she say to you?" Chibi Usa asked. Unsure of what to say, Usagi uneasily looked away, and began to think of the endless idea's she could use.   
  
"I... I'm good friends with Sailormoon!" Was the first thing she blurted out. "She brought you home last night, and told me what happened. I was just glad that you were okay." She was somewhat proud of that fib and how authentic it somewhat sounded. She took a glance at Mamoru see his reaction, and was surprised to see him laughing. Why was he laughing?! "Oi, baka, why are you laughing?!" Usagi realized this was the first time in a while that she had seen him laugh.   
  
"I... oh, nothing... just..." Mamoru tried to explain in-between laughs. Wiping away a tear, he tried to compose himself. "Sorry. I uhh, just can't imagine you being friends with... Sailormoon." Usagi could tell that he was having some sort of inner battle to keep his cool. What was so damn funny about it?!   
  
"Jerk." Usagi muttered under her breath. Ignoring the snide comment, Mamoru took a glance at his watch, and was surprised to see it was already 10.   
  
"I better go. Gotta finish my paper. Thanks for the ramen, Chibi Usa-chan. It was really delicious." He thanked, and began to get out of his seat. Usagi was about to get out of hers, but stopped when she saw Chibi Usa quickly jump out of hers towards Mamoru.   
  
"Arigato, Mamoru-san. Thank you, for saving me." Chibi Usa shyly thanked, and looked down. Mamoru smiled at her, and patted her on the head. Squatting down to her level, Mamoru looked at the child.   
  
"Ne, let's continue our talk someday, okay?" Chibi Usa nodded. Usagi wondered what 'talk' they were talking about. She tried to shake off the jealousy she was feeling when she looked at the two. He looked at Chibi Usa differently. Usagi could see the light in his eyes change when he looked at Chibi Usa. It was like the way her father looked at her. It was like he wanted to protect her with all his might, and never let anything happen to her.   
  
"How about tomorrow?" Chibi Usa asked. "And Usagi can come too!" She exclaimed, and looked up at her. Usagi was surprised at that comment. She wanted her to know about whatever they were talking about? Why didn't Chibi Usa just ask her earlier? Mamoru looked at up at Usagi, who in return look at him. "After her school. We'll go have a picnic! With ramen!"   
  
Mamoru laughed at Chibi Usa. "Chibi Usa-chan, you're adorable. That sounds like a great idea. What do you say, Usagi?" He asked, looking back at her. Usagi liked that idea as well. Maybe she could get some more information about the new enemy.   
  
"Sure. How about at Ichinohashi park?" Usagi suggested and the two nodded in union. From here, Mamoru stood up, and Chibi Usa lead him towards the door with Usagi slowly following behind. Once Mamoru placed on his shoes, he looked back at the two rabbits.   
  
"See you tomorrow. Usagi, feel better." He gave Usagi another smile, and Chibi Usa a pat on the head, before he turned around and exited through the door. Usagi felt her face flush again. If she had 50 yen for every time he's made her face turn like a tomato, she'd be rich right now.   
  
"Well, Chibi Usa, we should prepare what we're gonna bring tomorrow." Usagi explained, and began to make her way towards the kitchen. Chibi Usa slowly turned around, but didn't move. Usagi stopped and turned around wondering why she wasn't following. "Chibi Usa?"  
  
"I already knew." She replied.   
  
"Knew what?"  
  
"About Sailormoon. I knew you knew her." Usagi's eyes widened, as she stared down at Chibi Usa, who was looking at her with determined eyes.  
  
"Is that why... you came to stay with me?" She finally asked. Chibi Usa remained silent and walked past Usagi. Not wanting to let her get away this time, Usagi reached out and grabbed her wrist, twirling her around. "You could have just asked me, Chibi Usa. I could have easily brought her to--"  
  
"Well, I didn't know for sure. It was just a gut feeling. I knew that you were the key to finding Sailormoon, I just didn't know how, or if for sure you were the one. Today confirmed it." She finally replied. Usagi watched as her eyes softened, but soon became filled with that sadness and sorrow that she had felt and seen last night. "But... I know you won't help me now." Her small eyes traveled up to meet up with Usagi's. "I overheard you and someone talking in your room about how you think I'm an enemy."   
  
Usagi gasped. Chibi Usa had over heard her and Luna? 'Baka Luna! No... I'm the baka...' She watched as Chibi Usa pulled her wrist away from Usagi's grip, and turned her back towards her.  
  
"That's why I went to Mamoru-san. I hoped he could bring me to Sailormoon, but look what that did him...."   
  
Guilt plagued at Usagi's heart, as she listened to Chibi Usa's words. So that's why she had run away, and why she was with Mamoru. She was looking for someone to help her. Usagi almost wanted to hit herself for not being there. "Ne, Chibi Usa... that was before. I mean, here you appear, pointing a gun at my head, hypnotizing my family, and demanding some crystal that I don't even know of. One can only assume that you're an enemy." Usagi stopped, when she could see Chibi Usa's clenched fist tremble, and soft sniffles were heard. Was she crying?  
  
"I'm NOT like them!!" Chibi Usa shouted.   
  
"Who, Chibi Usa?"  
  
"I... I...." Concerned, Usagi walked up to Chibi Usa, and squatted down. Turning her around to face her, Usagi looked into the child's eyes and smiled. Wiping the tears away that had fallen from her red, puffy eyes, Usagi placed her hands on her shoulder.   
  
"I know now, that you're not. I feel it inside me. I've known you for only a few days, but I feel this closeness with you. I don't want to see you sad, or cry. I'll help you, Usagi, if you let me."   
  
Chibi Usa slowly looked up at Usagi, and wiped away the tears that kept falling. With her lip pouted, and her nose sniffing every now and then, Usagi realized that all of this seemed so familiar. It was as if she had done this before. True, Chibi Usa had cried in front of her already, but it felt like this had happened many times, and that she was always there to comfort her. "Don't cry. Remember, small ladies are stronger then--" She stopped midway through her sentence, wondering why that phrase had sounded so frighteningly familiar. Chibi Usa stared at her in equal shock.   
  
"My mom would always call me Small Lady." Sniff. "But you're right." And with that, Chibi Usa wiped the last of her tears away. Usagi watched as she wiped her face, and looked at Usagi with such determination. "Usagi... will you promise to help me?" She asked. Nodding, Usagi held up her right hand with her pinky extended.   
  
"I promise." Chibi Usa linked her pinky with Usagi's, and the two shook on it. "Next time I see Sailormoon, I'll tell her to come visit you." At that moment, Chibi Usa's face completely lit up, like the sky on Chinese New Year, as she smiled happily at Usagi. Right there, it became Usagi's duty to maintain that smile on the girl's face. To make sure that she wouldn't have to cry again. She would find out what happened to her, and help her. No matter what.

---  
  
"Oi, Chibi Usa, help me!!"   
  
"Hurry up Usagi!!"   
  
"I WOULD if you helped me!" But Chibi Usa kept running ahead. "Mou!!" Usagi shouted after her. It was 4:00PM, which was their designated time to meet Mamoru at Ichinohashi Park. The night before, the two had stayed up to make food for today, however, to Chibi Usa it didn't occur to her that she also had to help BRING it. So there, Usagi was stuck with baskets of food, along with blankets, and all kinds of toys, like a Frisbee, and a volleyball. One wrong movement, and Usagi would have fallen with everything splattered all over the floor.   
  
She was only meters away from their designated meeting spot, when she felt someone run up to her. Their hands grabbed onto some of the stuff, taking the load off her arms. Once some things were removed and she was able to see better, she was happy to see that it was Mamoru taking the stuff, and not some stranger. She blushed slightly, as he smirked at her. "Chibi Usa ran ahead?"  
  
"I'll get her back." She vowed, making Mamoru chuckle. In a black turtleneck with a brown leather jacket over it along with black pants, Usagi felt her face grow hot again as she looked at him. Maybe she knew it at the back of her mind but didn't allow herself to admit it, but now she was; Mamoru looked gorgeous. Shaking out of her trance, she realized that Mamoru had taken everything from her. "O-oi, let me carry some!"   
  
"I don't want to take the chances." Knowing that he was talking about what happened yesterday, Usagi knew it was no use arguing. She had felt perfectly fine ever since she woke up last night, but she knew telling him that was completely pointless. The man was stubborn. The two met up with Chibi Usa, who was standing under a tree. "Oi, Chibi Usa, next time help your sister." He scolded. Chibi Usa winked and stuck her tongue out playfully.  
  
"Gomen! I just really wanted to see this place." She held out her arms and hopped on one foot to the other. "We'll eat here! Underneath this shade. It's such a perfect spot!" Usagi looked around and realized that it really was beautiful. On the green grass, with the wind slightly blowing, all the beautiful sights were visible from here. The trees, the flowers, the fountains, everything.   
  
"Yosh! We'll set up here." Mamoru replied. Setting everything down, the three helped lay out the red and white checkered blanket.   
  
The whole day was filled with nothing but fun. The three had ate happily underneath the tree, eating all the goodies that Usagi and Chibi Usa had prepared, along with the things Mamoru had brought as well. Through the whole time, Usagi felt like she had done something like this before with both of them. She had felt a connection that ran through all three of them. A strong connection that would never die.   
  
It was strange. Only a few days of meeting this child, and in those few days, she had grown incredibly close to both of these people. Mamoru, especially. She would have never expecting growing this close with her use to be worst enemy. She had never noticed until now how a wonderful guy he could be. When he wasn't being a grade A jerk, he was being the sweetest person. Not just to her, but to Chibi Usa. The way he would act like a brother and a father at the same time. Adding in the discipline here and there, while joking and being playful the next. It felt so natural. It all felt natural.  
  
After the picnic, the three went all over the park playing games. Volleyball, badminton, Frisbee, etc. Usagi amazed Chibi Usa with her incredible Frisbee abilities, but for some reason, Mamoru was more amused than amazed. They went to the playground and played tag, dodgeball, and anything they could think of. Usagi had never laughed so hard in her life. Being with them made her happier. It made life so much more fun. It was even more hilarious to watch Mamoru sink down to their level and play these games. Sophisticated Chiba Mamoru, playing tag. Oh, if his friends could only see him now...  
  
She found it adorable. Absolutely adorable. She knew her vision of Mamoru was changing by the minute. He went from jerk, to jerk who's nice sometimes, to jerk who's nice a lot of the times, to jerk who is also really nice, to... she didn't know. He was constantly changing, evolving into something better than he was before. With each change, she felt her heart beat even faster. When Mamoru leaned over, trying to catch his breath, he squinted up at Usagi and laughed, who in return laughed back. She watched as Chibi Usa came from out of no where, and slapped him on the arm.  
  
"You're it!" She screamed, and began to run away. Mamoru groaned, still catching his breath.  
  
"Chibi Usa! Damn... how do you keep up with her?" He asked.   
  
"Well, I--" Usagi stopped when Mamoru smacked her right on the arm. "OI!" He just tagged her!! That jerk! Usagi began to run after him, laughing and glaring at the same time.   
  
In the end, Mamoru and Usagi plopped themselves on the bench, chests rising up and down rapidly. Chibi Usa stood in front of them, hands at her hips, eyes narrowed and lips pouting forward. "Oi, don't tell me you guys are tired!"   
  
It was unbelievable how much energy that kid had. Usagi waved her hand in front of her face, trying to fan her hot skin. "Let us... rest... for.... a while..." She spoke in-between each breaths. "Go play on those swings over there until... we..." And before she could, Chibi Usa was gone. Usagi moaned, placing her hand on her chest. Her heart was beating insanely! "How does she do it?! I was never that energetic as a kid." She waited for Mamoru's response, but instead of him talking, she jumped when she felt his head land softly on her shoulder. Usagi turned her head, only to be met with bunch of brown hair. "Mamoru?"  
  
With the side of his head resting on her shoulder, Mamoru chuckled softly. "Kids these days. Sugar is the culprit behind their never ending battery." Usagi stiffened slightly, not sure of what to do with him leaning on her like that. She could feel his pulse slightly, and was surprised to see that his heart was beating just as fast as hers. "Do you mind if I lean on you like this?" He asked.   
"N-no...." She didn't mind at all, in fact... she might have liked it. It made her feel quite uneasy, though. The two rested for a few minutes in silence, and Usagi could feel both their heartbeats become slower and slower. She looked up to see Chibi Usa still playing on the swings. Knowing it would unwise to keep her unguarded for a while, she looked tilted her head slightly to look at the man sleeping on her. "Mamoru?" She asked, but got no response. "Don't tell me he's sleepin--"  
  
"Mrmr..." Mamoru mumbled. Usagi tilted her head again to look at his face.   
  
"Eh? Mamoru? What'd you say?" She leaned in, and brushed some bangs away from his eyes. What happened next completely threw Usagi off, for what she was about to hear would never leave her mind.  
  
"Usa...." He whispered. Usagi's eyes grew into two wide circles. Did... he just... call her Usa?! Usagi felt her hands start to shake slightly, and her heart beat faster yet again. She looked down into her lap, as her face began to grow red again. Mamoru had just called her Usa! As if Usagi wasn't shocking enough, he called her... Usa! 'Usa.... Usa.... It was the kind of nickname a boyfriend would give his girl--' She stopped. Mamoru was NOT her boyfriend but... he called her it, anyways.   
  
'Usa...' She was starting to like the sound of that. Smiling, she rested her head on the back of the bench. Those sweet syllables never left her mind. 'Usa, Usa Usa...'  
  
Usagi looked down at her hands when she felt something touch it. She watched as Mamoru's hand slowly drifted on top of hers, entwining fingers. She checked to see if he was still sleeping, and he was. 'What the HELL?!' Usagi screamed at herself. Here, Mamoru was lying on her, and holding her hand?!?!?! WHAT THE HELL WAS HE DREAMING OF?!! Unsure of what to do, Usagi remained still for a few minutes. What was she to do? Why was he doing this? And why was it making her heart want to jump out of her chest?!  
  
She could jump up and run away. Or, she could slap him. Or, she could quickly slip away. Or, she could wake Mamoru up, or... the choices were endless!! What was she going to do?!!  
  
And then she heard it again. "Usa..."   
  
After that, she knew what to do. Listening to her heart, Usagi smiled. She leaned on Mamoru's head, and squeezed his hand back. Her eyes slowly shut, and all that she could hear from that point was the sound of her heart and his breathing. At that moment, it was all that mattered.

---

Berthier watched from a far, as Chibi Usa ran up to the swings. Grinning evilly, Berthier clenched her fist. "Stupid fools to leave the Rabbit unattended. But it'll be easier to get her. Wait for me, Rabbit."


	6. Who is more important?

**Le Lapin Le Plus Rose** (_The Pinkest Bunny_)  
Written by: Neeko   
tanpopo_nyo@hotmail.com

**Author's Notes: **This chapter won't be as fluffy as the previous one, and is more of a development chapter. It's mostly character thinking, and a bit of action near the end. So although it may seem boring, the next few chapters will make up for it, definitely. Also, near the end, you'll come across some dialogue from the Big Bads. You've noticed that the dialogues between them are usually vague, have little description, etc. It's done on purpose, and it won't be like that forever. They'll be described better later on in the story. I've finally decided what I will do with this story. I started planning out the ending last night, so hopefully it'll go as planned. 

Again, check the responses near the bottom if you've left a question! Also, I've created a Usagi&Mamoru Fanfic Fanlisting! Go to my info for the URL! So go join if you love UMFanfics!

**Sorry if you're getting more than one Author Alerts. -_-" For some reason my fanfic isn't showing up on the main page when I update it, so I'm testing it out to see why. =( Chapter 7 should be coming a lot sooner than it took for this chapter.**

***  
Chapter 6  
_Who is more important?_  
***

It had been five minutes since Mamoru had fallen asleep on her shoulder. It had been 4 minutes and 30 seconds since he reached out and held her hand. It had been 4 minutes and 10 seconds since she contemplated running away.

It had also been 4 minutes since he last called her 'Usa.' And 3 minutes and 30 seconds since he last called her it again. 

3 very long minutes and 30 very long seconds. 

Usagi had rested her eyes briefly, but she had to keep them open to check up on Chibi Usa. Every now and then she would look up to see if the kid was still swinging, and then her eyes would fall back down onto hers and Mamoru's entwined hands. Smiling happily, she squeezed his hand gently. For some odd reason, she liked seeing this. And it felt really great, too. His hand on hers made her feel so warm, and safe. If a tornado came whizzing by, Usagi wouldn't care. She wouldn't even bother lifting a finger to get away. 

Probably because they were too busy with Mamoru's at the moment, but anywhoo...

Blowing away a piece of her bangs that fell dangerously close to her eyes, Usagi tilted her head to glance Mamoru's face. Smiling to herself, she mentally noted just how adorable he looked. His face looked so relaxed, like a little baby. Giggling, Usagi pat Mamoru's head gently. 'Aww, witto baby Mamoru-chan.' She teased mentally. Yep, she wouldn't mind waking up to that every morn--Usagi stopped that thought before it finished. What silly thing to think! Silly silly and stupid stupid, and definitely NOT true. 

Ignoring the internal battle that was going on inside of her, Usagi glanced up at Chibi Usa to see if she was there. 'We should go over there soon. She must be pretty bored just swinging by herself.' 

Minutes passed, and Mamoru still hadn't woke up yet. "Oi. Mamoru-chan, wake up! Your naptime is over." Usagi called, and poked him. Mamoru stirred slightly, but remained rested on her shoulder. She really didn't want to wake him up. He really did look peaceful! But she didn't want to leave Chibi Usa all alone for too long. "Oi." Another poke. "Oi." Poke. "Oi oi!" Poke poke. 

Growling with frustration, Usagi poked him super hard. "Baka! Wake up!" Yet no response again. Either Mamoru was a REALLY heavy sleeper, or he was doing this intentionally to piss her off. Grabbing onto his chin, she tilted his head up so that he was face to face with her. "Oi! Wake up!" Usagi watched as Mamoru's face clenched slightly. At that moment, she suddenly realized that Mamoru was really close to her. His lips were millimeters away from hers! Glancing down at them, it never occurred to her until now that his lips looked really nice. Really, really nice...

Embarrassed by that thought, she pushed him away and yanked her hand away from his. They were getting too close right now. Too too close for her liking. Looking away in the opposite direction, Usagi hoped that Mamoru wouldn't see the flaring blush that was on her warm cheeks. 

"Usa..." 

She gasped....

"..gi..?" 

...then frowned. 

Stealing a quick glance at him, she watched as Mamoru began to rub and flinch his eyes, since he wasn't adjusted to the light yet. Once his vision was in focus, he turned his head towards Usagi, who continued to look away. "Usagi?" He called again, before yawning. 

Usagi hesitated at first. "H-hai...?" 

"Did I fall asleep?"

"Of course."

"Was I resting on your shoulder?"

Usagi gulped. "Maybe." There was silence for the longest time, before Mamoru asked,

"Was I holding your hand?" 

Flinching, Usagi looked down at her lap as her clenched her fists on top of them. This was not good, not good. But wait, it wasn't her fault! HE grabbed HER hand! She shouldn't be feeling embarrassed about it. HE should be! "You grabbed my hand while you fell asleep." She glanced sideways at him and frowned. "I'm the innocent victim here!" There was silence again, as Usagi looked back down at her skirt, until Mamoru asked another question.

"Why didn't you pull away?" 

Usagi's eyes widened greatly at Mamoru's question. It never hit her until now. Why didn't she pull away? She had the chance to. She could have easily yoinked it away from his grasp. If it truly disgusted her, like it SHOULD have, then she should have pulled away. But instead of disgusting her, it did something else to her. It made her feel... warm, and safe... alive... complete...

'Complete?! I'm talking like he's my soul mate!' Still, she couldn't say that to Mamoru. 'Yeah, I didn't pull away because I think you're my soul mate! All based on you holding my hand. Isn't that fancy?' 

"Well, I... didn't want to disturb your dream!" She quickly fibbed. It sounded authentic enough, didn't it? Usagi took a quick glance through the corner of her eye at Mamoru, who amazingly enough did not look amused. He was just nodding his head, and looking down at his hands. He actually looked a little hurt at her comment. 

"I see. Sorry about that, then." Usagi stared at Mamoru again in shock. That's it? No witty comment? No tease? Just, 'Sorry about that.'?! Mamoru caught her glance, and looked at her. "What?"

"Well... I was expecting you to make fun of me." 

He chuckled. "Yeah, so was I." Usagi watched him as he sighed and leaned back against the bench. Propping his ankle on his knee, Mamoru rested his arms on the back of the bench, his fingers dangerously close to Usagi's shoulder. "Chibi Usa still there?" 

Shifting away slowly, Usagi nodded. "Yeah. We should go over there soon. I don't want to leave her alone for too long." 

"True. Man, I just had the most horrible dream about her..." 

That made Usagi's head turn quickly. He was dreaming about Chibi Usa?! "About Chibi Usa?" Mamoru looked at her and nodded. It was then that Usagi had noticed his face had turned completely white. Why, the man looked spooked! It was almost adorable, but frightening at the same time. She rarely saw Mamoru scared of anything, so at the times that he does get scared, the thing that scared him must have been pretty frightening. 

"Yeah. I don't want to bore you with the details, though. Probably because I don't really remember much. All I know is that it kind of freaked me out." Nervously scratching the back of his head, Mamoru turned his attention back to Chibi Usa. "I just remember I kept calling her name over and over again." 

Usagi's eyes grew wide. So, all this time he was dreaming of... Chibi Usa? Does that mean when he was saying 'Usa,' he was actually calling Chibi Usa? "W-was... that all you had in your dream?" She asked. 

Mamoru looked at her nervously, and quickly looked away. "I-I think so. There was other stuff, but uhh... I can't remember. It was basically just Chibi Usa." 

Usagi nodded, and quickly looked down at her lap. Boy, did she feel completely stupid. Here she thought that Mamoru was calling her a sweet nickname, but it was actually just Chibi Usa's name. 'Stupid Usagi! Stupid stupid stupid...' Why did it even matter to her anyways?! It's not like they're going out! It's not like she LIKES him. It's none of that. She shouldn't be feeling stupid right now. She shouldn't be feeling like an idiot right now. She shouldn't be feeling like this!

'So... why am I?' 

Shaking her head, Usagi frowned. 'I should be relieved that he was calling Chibi Usa! Be relieved, be relieved, you idiot!' Placing on a fake smile, Usagi turned her head towards Mamoru. "Let's go get Chibi Usa!" She exclaimed cheerfully. A bit TOO cheerfully. Mamoru stared at her with a confused look, before nodding. Getting up from her seat, she walked immediately ahead of Mamoru, making sure her cheery smile didn't fade away.

'I'm relieved, I'm relieved, I'm relieved....' 

She was disappointed.

***

After they got Chibi Usa from the swings, they decided that they should end their day of fun with a final event. It was Chibi Usa's idea to get a boat and ride out on the lake. So they rented a boat, and rowed out onto the beautiful, blue waters. Mamoru took the job to row, despite the fact that Usagi volunteered to do so. 'Like you could row the boat,' is what he said, jokingly, of course. Yet he still took the job to row. 

Usagi sat next to Chibi Usa staring off to the side at the scenery around her. In the faint background she could hear Mamoru and Chibi Usa chat about only God knows what, but at that moment she couldn't bring herself to join in on the conversation. She felt lousy. She tried to tell herself it was some sort of PMS going on, but she knew the real reason. She felt embarrassed for believing Mamoru was calling her "Usa." She knew that embarrassment should be there, but disappointment? She shouldn't be disappointed, she should be... well not relieved, but... she shouldn't be feeling like this! 

So why was she?

"Usagi?" 

Letting out a big sigh, Usagi continued to stare off into the horizon, without even noticing that Mamoru had called out to her. The noises of conversations quickly died out, which caught Usagi's attention. She turned her head to see what had caused the sudden silence, and was surprised to see the both of them staring at her with confused looks. "Eh? Why are you both looking at me like that?"

Mamoru had an amused look on his face. "Because you didn't answer when I called to you." He squinted at her before continuing. "Are you okay? Are you feeling dizzy again?" 

"No, I... I guess I was just spacing out..." Usagi replied, trying desperately to avoid Mamoru's stare. Every time she looked at him, she felt even more stupid. 

"There has to be a reason why you're spacing out. Did a boy reject you at school today?" Chibi Usa teased, while poking her in the ribs. Usagi glared at her, and flicked her in the forehead. For some reason, Chibi Usa's statement really ticked her off. She knew it was meant to be a joke and all, but for some reason it really bothered her. 

"Brat." She muttered under her breath, and returned back to looking to the side. 

"Mouu, I was just kidding, Usagi." Chibi Usa complained, while rubbing her head. Usagi didn't listen, and kept staring off to the side. She heard the conversation between start to pick up again and so she sighed again. How she envied the two. They managed to get along so easily and could talk about anything. He's known her for what, three days?

'I've known him for almost a month, and we've JUST been able to get past the name calling.' Why was she so jealous, anyways? Why did she want to even become close to Mamoru? It didn't make sense at all. None of this made sense. Continuing to stare off, Usagi sighed a big sigh. 

Suddenly, her eyes darted towards a splash of water near the boat. "Eh?" Figuring it must have been from the splash of the oars, she ignored it. But it happened again. Her eyes traveled to Mamoru's oars, which had stopped rowing. She looked to the side and saw that Mamoru had stopped rowing and had taken a break. 'So what was that splash?' She looked back at the original location of the splash and frowned. Carefully leaning over to peer down at it, Usagi stared down at the waters.

Another splash. She gasped as a dark colour began to build up underneath the waters. It looked like... a shadow?

Before Usagi could warn anyone, a forearm wrapped in blue wrappings shot out of the water and grasped onto her wrist. Usagi screeched, catching the attention of the two. "Usagi!" They both exclaimed before grabbing a hold of her other arm to stop her from falling out of the boat. Usagi stared in horror as she saw a woman with white braided hair smirk up at her. The woman quickly let go, and disappeared back into the waters. 

"Usagi! Are you okay?!" Mamoru asked, face filling with concern. But before Usagi could reply, it was Chibi Usa's piercing scream that interrupted them. The waters hovered threateningly high above them like a tidal wave that was about to drown them. Everything that happened next fell like it was in slow motion.

Mamoru rushed as fast as he could to Chibi Usa. He wrapped his arms protectively around the child, and tried to cover her completely with his body. Usagi watched in horror with wide eyes as he jumped up to protect Chibi Usa and shield her from the water that was about to crash on them any minute. What about her? Why didn't he try to save her? It was as if he had total disregarded her. It was like... he would rather save Chibi Usa than her. It was like...

...he had chosen Chibi Usa over her. 

Because of this, she wasn't prepared for what felt like a 1000 bricks slam into her, knock the boat over and fling all three into the waters. After that, everything went black.

***

**He'll choose her over you...**

'Who.. are you?' 

**You'll see. He'll break your heart and hurt you.**

'Who... who are you talking about?' 

**Hate him. Hurt him. Kill him, before he hurts you. **

'What...?' 

**Kill... him...**

***

She didn't know what woke her up. That eerie voice in her head, or her own scream. Either way, she found herself bolting up and breathing heavily, while clutching at her chest. As she began to gain back her senses, Usagi flinched as the pain in her arms and chest also returned to her. Looking around her, she was surprised at the wooden boards underneath her. Somehow she managed to get herself on the harbor. 

Her entire body has been drenched. Her hair, her clothes, everything. Memories of the tidal wave came back to her. How did she get here? And where was everyone else? All she could remember was that woman in the waters, the tidal wave, and Mamoru.... 

Usagi sighed. She remembered that most of all. Mamoru rushing to save Chibi Usa, protecting her completely. It was like he only cared about her. Only cared about saving HER. Clenching her fists, Usagi bit back the tears that began to flow as the images replayed in her mind. 'He saved HER... he didn't bother to save ME...' She could have died out there, but all Mamoru cared about was Chibi Usa.

She felt bad for thinking those things. She should be thankful that Mamoru would risk his life to save Chibi Usa. In a way, she was. In most ways, she was jealous. Jealous that he would risk his life for Chibi Usa, and not her. Jealous that he would rather see Chibi Usa alive than her. Chibi Usa...

Chibi Usa....

Chibi Usa.... 

"Chibi Usa!" Usagi quickly spun her head around after hearing a familiar voice. Not too far behind her was Chibi Usa, unconscious, with Mamoru on his knees hovering above her. Usagi watched with fascination as Mamoru began to perform AR on the child. The look on his face was sheer horror desperation. It was like he needed her to be alive. 'Of course she needs to be alive! She's a human being! She deserves to live!' She scolded herself for even thinking of such a horrible thought. Right now Chibi Usa's life was in danger, and she was talking to herself about her own jealousy. How selfish of her.

"Mamoru!" Usagi called, as she quickly ran up to the two. On her knees, Usagi watched as Mamoru switched from giving breaths, to pressing his ear against her mouth. "Is she... Is she...?" She couldn't say the word, but Mamoru knew what she meant.

"She's just not breathing. Her pulse is stable." She watched Mamoru try desperately over and over again to get the child to breath. She wondered, did Chibi Usa mean that much to him? A girl that he hardly knew. A girl that he had just met a few days ago. A girl he had just met... and he would risk his life to save her? To do everything he can to get her to live?

'Of course he would.. this is Mamoru. If it was the meanest person in the world, Mamoru would still try to save them.' It still didn't put away the jealousy monster that was biting her at the back of her head. Suddenly, the sound of gagging shook Usagi out of her thoughts, as her eyes quickly darted towards Chibi Usa. Mamoru quickly turned her to the side as Chibi Usa began to cough up water. 'Thank God! She's breathing... she's fine...' 

Usagi looked at Mamoru's face and sighed. He looked like the happiest man in the world right now. His worries were washed away once he saw Chibi Usa cough up that water. She wanted to feel happy. She really did. But all she could feel right now was the anger and jealousy slowly building up inside of her. 

Mamoru sat on the back of his heals, as he let out the biggest sigh of relief. Hanging his head down, he chuckled uneasily. "I'm so glad she's okay. Scared the hell out of me when I found her not breathing." He paused to check one more time on the condition of Chibi Usa. Usagi frowned. He was such a perfectionist. "How are you feeling, Usagi?" 

"Does it matter?" Usagi found herself asking involuntarily. 'Baka! Why'd you say that?!' Mamoru looked up at her with a confused look.

"Of course it matters. I wouldn't ask if it didn't." 

"Really? You could have fooled me." What was with her today? Why was she saying all these things? It was like everything she was thinking came out of her mouth, without hesitation. Again, Mamoru looked up with even more confusion. 

"Usagi, are you alright?" 

"Of course!" She replied, a bit too quickly. "I just... doesn't matter." Mamoru gave her an 'I'm not buying that crap look,' but decided now wasn't the good time. 

"We better get her to a hospital. Wait here while I--" 

"No. I'll do it." She offered. Mamoru looked up at her as she stood up, and sighed. 

"You sure? I figured you'd want to be with her 'cause you're her sis--"

"Well, I figured you'd want to be with her because you love her so much." Usagi retaliated. Although inside she was regretting everything she said, her face remained stern and showing bits of anger here and there. Just as she was about to leave, Mamoru latched his hand around her wrist, stopping her from moving. 

"What's THAT supposed to mean?" He asked, looking up at her with frustrated eyes. Usagi shook her head, and yanked her fist away.

"Nothing. I'll go get help." And with that, Usagi spun on her heal, and ran ahead. The tears that were building up behind her eyes had fallen down her face like a waterfall. Rubbing them away with her sleeve as she ran further away from the two, Usagi found that it was useless because more tears began to fall. 'Baka... baka... baka!!' She wasn't sure who she was calling an idiot. Mamoru, or herself. Either way, she found herself calling whoever a baka for the longest time. 

Feeling that she had run far enough, Usagi stopped in her tracks. She wasn't here to run away from Mamoru. She was here to find help for Chibi Usa. 'So suck it up and search for help!' Looking around her, Usagi was surprised not to see anyone around. When she had arrived here with Mamoru and Chibi Usa, there had been tons of people. Now, there was no one in sight. 'What the heck?' 

Suddenly out of no where, a familiar hand reached out and grabbed her by the throat. Usagi screeched, as the hand lifted her up off of the ground, cutting off her precious oxygen. Usagi looked through her squinted eyes, and gasped when she saw that familiar forearm wrapped in blue wrappings. A woman with white braided hair in a blue revealing body suit stared at her with an evil smile. 

"Hello, Sailormoon." She greeted. "Hope you don't mind that I take your energy." 

Next, was the most uncomfortable feeling in the world. Her body became colder and colder by the minute as the energy began to leave her body through her neck and into the woman's hand. She tried screaming for help, but nothing came. Usagi watched in horror as the familiar black crystal earrings on her ears latched off, and headed straight towards her. Soon her vision began to grow dark and hazy, until finally everything went black.

***

'What's with that girl?' Mamoru wondered, as he watched Usagi run off into the distance. The responses to his questions were quite odd, and a little upsetting. She sounded so bitter, and angry at him. What could he have done to upset her so badly?

He looked down at Chibi Usa, who appeared to be sleeping peacefully. 'Poor girl. It seems like every time she tries to have fun, something horrible happens.' Flashbacks of his dream came back to him, and he shivered. It was a dream that he did not want to remember. He dreamt of a crystal-like city, with people walking around doing their own business, until some sort of toxic gas was released and killed every single one of them. He remembered seeing their skin rot away on their skeletons as they laid lifelessly on the ground. Just when he felt like vomiting, he then saw Chibi Usa, running towards him, until a flash of black lightning shot towards her, which was when his dream ended. 

Shaking his head, he tried to get the memories out of his mind. First the dreams of the princess, and now this? Was someone up there trying to tell him something? 'One message at a time folks. There's so much a guy's mind can handle.' 

Then, he remembered the beginning of his dream. It wasn't as disturbing as the following events, but... it was interesting. He was with a woman, her face was in the shadows the whole time, and he was walking down a grassy field with her, hand in hand. In front of them was Chibi Usa, walking backwards while talking to them at the same time. It felt so natural, so surreal, and so familiar to him. And just before the crystal city dream started, the woman turned her head towards him as the sun shown down on her face, revealing it to be Usagi.

She was beautiful. She looked older, more mature, and was incredibly gorgeous. That smile she gave him was a smile he had never seen before, but it made his heart flutter light a hummingbird's wings. And with that, he called her, "Usa," leaned in and kissed her. He then repeated this. Over, and over, and over, and over.... and over.

Blushing, Mamoru shook his head again to try to get those memories out, but they stayed there, nagging at him. That's why when he woke up, he was so embarrassed to see his hand linked with hers. He tried to brush it off, and with Usagi's help, it worked. He was a little insulted that she seemed so disgusted by it, but none the less, at least she hadn't slapped him or anything. 

Looking back down at Chibi Usa, he remembered that tidal wave, and he remembered rushing to save her. All three of them were knocked off the boat by the force of the wave, which by the way, hurt incredibly. After falling into the waters, he quickly rushed up to the surface with Chibi Usa in his arms. Quickly looking around for Usagi, he was relieved to find her nearby. Treading towards her, he pulled her close to him, and was even more relieved to find her breathing. She was unconscious, but still breathing. 

He wasn't sure how, but he somehow managed to bring the two to shore. Propping them up on the harbor, he helped himself up afterwards. Usagi was fine and breathing, but Chibi Usa was a different story. She wasn't breathing. She had a pulse, but no breaths. So he performed the AR skills that he had learned during high school on her, and was happy to see that it worked. She was alive, and breathing and... fine...

Never had he felt so scared in his life when he found her unable to breath. No test, no youma, or anything could compare to what he had just felt. How odd, a child whom he had only met a few days ago has grown to be someone who he can't seem to see himself being without. 'I can't be without Chibi Usa? Since when did that happen...' Whenever it happened, it happened. Chibi Usa was special to him. She was important to him. She was... everything to him. 

It's not like he had some sick crush on her. She was a child! But somewhere inside of him felt some sort of love for this child. Not a love that a couple shares, but the love that father and daughter share... or a brother and sister share. Chibi Usa was almost like... the family he never had. And there was no way he was letting a tidal wave get in the way of that.

Minutes and minutes had passed, and still no sign of Usagi. Deciding that she might have got lost along the way, Mamoru picked up Chibi Usa in his arms, and set off to find the rabbit. After walking a few meters, he found it quite odd that he hadn't seen anyone at all. Not even one person. 'Could a youma have attacked?' He figured it was a youma attack that caused the boat to tip over. There was no way in hell a tidal wave could have come up all of a sudden without them knowing. Plus, there was that hand that grabbed Usagi's arm.

"Usagi!" He called, hoping she was nearby to hear. He started running around the place, and began to worry frantically when he couldn't find her. Checked all the nearby and not so nearby places, yet he still couldn't find her. While searching for Usagi, he had hoped to see at least one person, but he couldn't find that either. 'Where did everyone go?' It was far from closing time. Sure a whole bunch of people could have left, but there should be at least one person here. 

And that's when he felt it. The feeling in the back of his head. The feeling he got right before he transformed into Tuxedo Kamen. That tingly feeling at the back of his skull telling him: Sailormoon was in danger, which meant...

"Usagi!" Mamoru's legs began to move one after the other into the direction that his heart told him to go. He wasn't sure where he was going, but all he knew was that it was leading him to Usagi. He wasn't sure how he got this link to the blonde heroine, but there was no doubt it was there. From the first time he met Sailormoon, he could feel that link pulsing... pulling him towards her. Now with the sudden developments of finding out Usagi was Sailormoon, his link also seemed to upgrade to alert him of when Usagi was in danger. It made sense, since they were the same person. 

Mamoru stopped in his tracks, as the link had told him she was nearby. He was in a grassy field, with trees all around, and was again surprised not to see a single person. Mamoru looked around for any sign of Usagi, until finally he caught sight of her. He gasped when he saw her being choked to death and having her energy drained by a white haired woman in blue. 'Usagi!' 

His first instinct was to go up there and kick the crap out of whoever that woman was, but he then remembered the little girl in his arms. Surely, that woman must be in league with Koan, meaning she was probably looking for Chibi Usa as well. He couldn't bring Chibi Usa with him, or leave her somewhere. Hiding behind a tree, Mamoru watched carefully at Usagi. 'Damnit!' He wanted to save her, he wanted to protect her... but... he couldn't risk Chibi Usa... 

'Does that mean Chibi Usa is more important to you than Usagi?' He asked himself. He couldn't answer that. He knew there was no answer to that. Usagi had grown closer to him in these past few days, slowly becoming more important to him than ever. 'So save her!' He wanted to, he really did... 

Mamoru looked at Usagi's face and his heart immediately broke. She was in so much pain. Her eyes were watering, her face was cringing, and her face was becoming bluer and bluer by the minute. 'Transform! Save yourself!' He couldn't stand watching her suffer. He wanted nothing but it. 'But would that mean risking Chibi Usa's life to save Usagi's?' 

The moment Usagi became limp in the woman's grasp, Mamoru knew the answer. He was about to place Chibi Usa in a safe place, but stopped when he saw a flash of light in the corner of his eye. Turning his head back towards Usagi, he was relieved to see three sailor suited soldiers arrive at the scene. "Mercury Aqua, Mist!!" Sailormercury shouted, and fired her blue beams at the white hair woman. She released her grip on Usagi, and tossed her aside like garbage, before dodging the attack. 

Knowing the Sailor Senshi would be able to take care of this matter, he left the situation in their hands. As he ran away from the scene, he could feel the link nag at him to return. He wanted to help, he wanted to see if Usagi was alright, he wanted to... Staring down at the little girl in his arms, he knew that he couldn't. 

'Usagi... please... be alright....'

***

With her hands folded together in front of her, Ami stared idly at the space in front of her. With her two comrades, Makoto and Rei beside her, the three rested in the quiet room of their secret base underneath the Crown. It was silent between the three, as they were all lost in their own thoughts. 

Memories of Usagi's sudden burst out came flashing back into her mind. 'I wonder what's wrong with Usagi-chan.' It was totally unlike Usagi to just explode like that. But before Ami could think more about it, the familiar tone of her Teletia-S rang through the room, as all three simultaneously picked it up. 

"Minna! There's an attack at Ichinohashi Park!" It was the voice of Luna. Ami looked up at Rei and Makoto with a concerned look.

"Youma?" She asked. 

"I'm not sure. She doesn't look like a youma. Hurry minna, it has Usagi-chan!" And with that, the three jumped out of their seats and ran up the stairs out of the room. Without even saying goodbye to Motoki or Kamekichi, the three ran out of the Crown towards the direction of the park. Once arriving, Ami looked around for nearby civilians, and was amazed not to find a single person.

"Where is everyone?" Rei asked, equally surprised. 

"Looks like they took everyone." Makoto replied. "Anyways, let's transform." In flashes of green, red and blue light, Sailormercury, Sailorjupiter and Sailormars took the place of the three. Upon arriving at the scene, Sailormercury gasped as she watched her friend get the life sucked out of her by whoever it was in the blue. Acting quickly, she raised her hands above her head and twirled around as waves of water began to build up around her. Thrusting her hands forward, the waves shot out directly towards the woman in blue, who quickly jumped out of the way before it made contact with her. Sailormercury gasped when she saw that. 'She's fast!' 

The woman landed gracefully on her high healed boots, and glared evilly at the three sailor soldiers. "Who the hell are you?!" She demanded. The three automatically took their positions for their introduction. 

"Soldier of Water and Wisdom, Sailormercury!" 

"Soldier of Thunder and Courage, Sailorjupiter!" 

"Soldier of Flame and Passion, Sailormars!" 

"In the name of Mercury, Mars and Jupiter... we'll punish you!" 

The woman snickered to herself, as she raised a pointed finger at the three. "So... you three are the sailor senshi? You're still as persistent as you were when I first heard of you." 

Sailormars raised a suspicious eyebrow. "Ehh? How do you know of us?"

"I am Berthier, I am the third oldest of the four Ayakashi sisters. Hand over the Rabbit and maybe I'll let you live." She taunted. Without giving them a chance to reply, Berthier raised her arms above her head, as waves of water formed around her. "Dark Water!!" She shouted, and hurled the massive water waves at the three. Not accustomed to the agility of this new enemy, the three were unable to dodge it, and took the blow. Falling to the ground, they all looked up at Berthier with angry and surprise. How did their enemies get to strong all of a sudden? "What's wrong Senshi? Don't tell me you're defeated already!" 

"In your dreams!" Sailorjupiter exclaimed. Quickly standing up, Sailorjupiter began to twirl her arms around, as pink petals began to form around her. "Flower... Hurricane!" She shouted, and thrusted the razor petals towards Berthier. Smirking, she jumped out of the way again, and shot her Dark Water attack at Jupiter at the same time. It threw the brunette soldier meters away from Mercury and Mars, who stared in complete shock. 

"She must be using the energy she took from Usagi-chan!" Luna explained, as she came running up beside the two fallen soldiers. "Try attacking all together!"

"Right. Jupiter, did you hear that?" Sailormars asked, looking back at Jupiter. Nodding weakly, the tall soldier quickly got up and ran up to them, preparing to attack. "On my mark. One... two... three!" 

"Shine Aqua Illusion!"

"Akuryo... Taisan!"

"Supreme Thunder!" All three of their attacks combined as one, and hurled itself towards Berthier's direction. She smirked again, and hurled her Dark Water attack at it, which deflected it back towards the three. They stared in shock as their own attack came hurling back at them, and screamed when they were knocked down again. 

"Is that all?" Berthier asked, taunting the three. "I'm getting a little bored." She watched as the senshi writhed and wiggled on the ground, trying to stand up, but they just didn't have the strength. Berthier threw her head back in laughter. "I thought the legendary Sailor Senshi would be more of a challenge!" 

Just as she was about to attack again, a flying crescent moon came out of no where across Berthier's wrists, cutting the skin. Screaming in pain, she held her wrists and glared at the direction where the crescent moon came from. "Who the hell are you?!" She asked angrily. Sailormars, Sailormercury and Sailorjupiter all looked up and gasped at who they saw. 

Blonde hair flowing in the wind, a red mask covering her eyes, Sailor V stood proudly meters away from the battle scene. One hand rested at her hip, and the other was pointing directly at Berthier. "It's not going to matter to you, since you'll be dead in a few minutes." And with that, she raised her other arm in the air, as a beam of orange light shot out of her finger towards her. For some reason she was unable to dodge this attack, and screamed as the beam of light made contact with her stomach, and began to electrocute her, until she exploded into dust. 

The three senshi stared in complete shock. Their combined attacks were unable to defeat her, yet Sailor V's one tiny beam managed to destroy her? "Sailor V!" Luna called. 

Sailor V stared at the former position of where Berthier stood with confused eyes. 'She's not supposed to be here. They're not supposed to be fighting her.' Taking one last look at the three, Sailor V frowned. 'They've not yet woken up as sailor soldiers.' But before anyone could ask a question, Sailor V turned around and ran away. 

***

Bowing in front of his almighty Queen, Nephrite stared down at the crusty ground beneath him. "Beryl-sama. There are apparently other people looking for the Ginzuishou. They also seem to be attacking the Sailor Senshi." He explained, as he looked up at Beryl in front of him. Beryl frowned slightly, unsure of what to do. 

"Jaedite. Find out who they are, and where they've come from. If they're after the Sailor Senshi, we might be able to ally with them, and then discard them." She ordered. Jaedite, the blonde general, nodded, and bowed. "Nephrite, continue collecting energy."

"Hai." 

"Where is Zoisite?" Beryl asked. Nephrite looked up at her again. 

"He's probably in his room with the piano. Would you like me to call for him?"

"No. Tell him he is to look for the princess, as planned. Things might be getting a bit more complicated, but the awakening will go as planned." 

"Hai, Beryl-sama."

Beryl smiled evilly at her two generals. "Nothing will disrupt the awakening. Nothing." 

***

"I've finished it..." Placing his pencil down on the piano, Zoisite grinned at the piano sheets in front of him. "Requiem for a Princess..."

***  
Responses: Because I love you. =)

**Authoress*Crest: **Yeah, I was hoping they'd reveal her as a princess, too. We all got Punk'd, heh.  
**SM Fan Dude person: ** I'm certainly positive that I will use neither evil Mercury nor evil Endymion in this fanfic. As much as I'd love to, I haven't found a way to add them in this kind of storyline.   
**lala365: ** Well, Beryl & Generals are here now, briefly, at least. They'll be playing their parts in the future. As for the Shin/Kunzite deal, well, you'll just have to wait, won't you? ^.~  
**Anhthy: **Her parents just happened to be conveniently "away." Le lapin le plus rose is French, and means "The Pinkest Bunny" or "The most pink bunny." I really don't know about the engagement thing. I was planning on waiting for it to be revealed in the actual show, that way I don't have to think of how to deal with it, and just use whatever the show uses. Hehe. ^^ Yes, I am so cheap!  
**aquarius: **I'll try my best to keep this Mamoru far away as possible as anime!Mamoru. XD  
**synea-aja: **Yes, I've had that bug for quite sometime. I think it's fixed now, though _


	7. The Perfect Opportunity

**Le Lapin Le Plus Rose** (_The Pinkest Bunny_)  
Written by: Neeko   
tanpopo_nyo@hotmail.com

**Author's Notes: **Here's chapter seven! A lot quicker, eh? Not really much to say. Calaveras makes her appearance in this chapter. Now, I know in the manga that she was the last to appear, but hey, it's my story. :D Once you get to the ending and some certain thing happens, it will be explained why later in future chapters. Not sure if the next one, but sometime soon! I tried to make this chapter fluffy, but it's not so fluffy. Don't worry; NEXT chapter will be fo SHEEZY fluffizzy.

***  
Chapter 7  
_The Perfect Opportunity_  
***

Usagi wasn't sure what it was that woke her up. Was it the sledgehammer pounding into her forehead? Was it the aches and pains all over her arms? Was it the bruised feeling of her neck? Or was it the fact that she felt the stare of someone above her and staring down at her waiting for her to wake up?

If you guessed them all, you get a cookie!

"Usagi?" The voice was familiar, but she couldn't really tell who it was at the moment. Any sound that entered her ears was just another sledgehammer hammering away at her forehead. Wincing, Usagi groaned slightly while placing a hand on her amazingly hot forehead. "Thank God. How are you feeling?"

'Like crap. Craparolla on a stick.' She answered to herself. "I'm okay." Wondering who the heck this person was, Usagi opened one eye to see who it was staring down at her. Beside her stood the familiar form of Chibi Usa. Her blurry face came into vision, and was filled with all the signs of worry. She looked like a mess. Her hair been taken out of the pigtails and was all over the place. Her face was dirty, and she looked incredibly worn out. 'If she looks like that, I wonder how I look like.' She must have looked even worse. Oh, how she couldn't wait to get up and look into the mirror. 

"Well, at least you don't feel as bad as you look," Chibi Usa teased. Usagi was about to turn her head and glare at her, but she suddenly realized something was holding onto her hand. Looking down, she was surprised to see Chibi Usa's smaller hand on top of hers. Had she waited by her bedside waiting for her to wake up? Just how did she get here? Last she saw her was when she was with Mamoru--

She stopped at the mentioning of his name. She really didn't want to think of him at the moment, but quite frankly that was all she could think of. She remembered the yelling, the accusing, the screaming... the more she thought about it, the more angry and upset she would get. Shaking her head, Usagi looked back up at Chibi Usa. "How did you get home, Chibi Usa?"

Chibi Usa tapped a finger on her chin and looked up. "Hmm... Well, I don't remember much. All I remember was that Mamoru was carrying me around. I guess eventually he must have brought me home. Anyways, what happened to you, Usagi? I was so worried when I woke up and you weren't around." 

Usagi looked confused. Chibi Usa didn't know what happened? 'Well, I did run for help only seconds after she woke up.' Deciding whether or not to tell the kid about what happened, she decided not to. She figured there was no need to tell her about that woman in blue. The earrings and the black crescent moon on her forehead were a big give away that she was in league with Koan. There was no need to worry Chibi Usa when the woman was already taken care of. 

'At least, I hope so.' Which reminded her: How was that woman defeated, and if she was, how the hell did she end up here? "Chibi Usa? How did I get home?" 

Chibi Usa's face lit up. "The Sailor Senshi brought you home. It was super cool! Your ties with Sailormoon must come in handy!" She exclaimed. Usagi smiled at her, noting to herself just how adorable she was. "Anyways, I'm going to go check on your ramen." And with that, Chibi Usa let go of Usagi's hand, turned on her heal and sped out the door. Usagi smiled again, and shut her eyes. That kid sure had spunk. Not to mention she was the sweetest kid ever. It was so nice of her to make ramen for her good old oneesama. 

'I should bring her to Sailormoon soon.' She mentally noted to herself. Just as she was about to sit up, a knock on the door caught her attention. Turning her head immediately, Usagi watched as the door began to open. Smiling, Usagi began to sit up. "Wow, that was quick, Chibi Usa--" Looking back to the door expecting to see Chibi Usa with a tray of ramen noodles, Usagi gasped when she saw who it was that entered. 

"You're awake," Mamoru greeted, as he closed the door behind him with his foot. In his hands he held a tray with a bowel of steaming ramen noodles on top. Walking towards her small table, he gently placed the tray on top, and dusted his hands off. "You feel better?" Unable to look into his captivating eyes, Usagi focused on her shaking hands in her lap. It had been the second time Mamoru was in her room, but it was the first time she wished he wasn't. After a moment of dead air, Mamoru cleared his throat abruptly. "Well? Are you going to eat or are you going to stay mad at me?" 

"I'm not mad at you," she replied with a cold voice. She could feel Mamoru's eyes stab at her. 

"So how come you can't even look at me?" he asked. Again, she could feel his stare upon her, begging her to look at him. Usagi closed her eyes, trying to block out the stare. 

"I just don't want to. Is that a crime?" she asked, which sounded more like a demand. Throwing the blanket off of her body, Usagi turned herself so her legs dangled off the edge of the bed. She looked up at him, but it wasn't a happy smile. Her eyes threw ice cold daggers into Mamoru as she stared at him with such anger. "Why don't you go check on Chibi Usa?" she asked bitterly. "I'm sure you'd rather be near her than baby-sit me." 

That got him riled up. He gave her this look that plainly said, 'You've GOT to be kidding me.' "Is that what this is all about? You're angry at me because you're JEALOUS of Chibi Usa?" he asked, practically shoving the words in her face. Usagi clenched her fists, as she stood up from her bed. 

"I'm not jealous!" She defended herself. 

"So why are you angry at me?" 

"I have a right to be angry at whomever and whenever!" 

"So you ARE jealous." 

Usagi seethed through her teeth. Did he see right through her that easily? 'Wait a minute, I am NOT jealous. Why would I be jealous of Chibi Usa? Sure they're super close, and sure he practically loves her like crazy, and sure he practically chose saving the kid over her, and sure they're just so great together. Sure! But that's no reason WHY I should be jealous. I'm not jealous! No. Completely never.' Yet for some odd reason, she hadn't replied to Mamoru's statement. She was too busy arguing with herself to argue with Mamoru. 

Mamoru sighed with frustration. "Usagi, you have no reason to be jealous. Chibi Usa is just a friend." 

Crossing her arms across her chest, Usagi frowned. "She's special to you, though." 

Another sigh of frustration. "Of course she is!"

"Good! Go get married, then!" She was just about to show him the door, when Mamoru grabbed her wrist and stopped her. Usagi spun her head around to face him, and was surprised to see the anger disappear from his face, soon being replaced with a completely serious look.

"But that doesn't mean YOU aren't." Usagi's eyes widened as she heard those words come out from Mamoru's mouth. Immediately letting go of her wrist, he began to shyly run a hand through his hair as he turned his back to her. Had he just said she was special to him? Her old ticker started to beat rapidly, right on time. "What I meant was... you're both my friends. And my friends are special to me. Like Motoki," he quickly added, trying to make up for what he just said. 

"But you CHOSE to save her over me. You left me there to practically die and--"

"I wanted to save you! I hated seeing you get choked by that woman, but the Sailor Senshi arrived shortly after. I figured they'd save you and--" 

"What are you talking about?" Usagi asked, completely confused. "I was talking about in the boat. Sailor Senshi? When did they--" And then it hit her. Right after she blacked out, she could hear faintly in the background the yells and screams of her friends. How did Mamoru know they were there? Then that meant... 

Usagi stared at him with sheer horror. Hands falling to her sides, Usagi looked up at him as tears began to form at the back of her eyes. Mamoru slowly turned around to face her, and gasped slightly when he saw Usagi's expression. Knowing he had said something wrong, Mamoru quickly walked up to her and grabbed her shoulders. "No, Usagi, it's not what you thin--"

She cut him off by forcefully shoving his hands off of her shoulders. "Get off of me!" And then, the tears began to flow. One after the other, falling down her face like a facet. "You... you were watching me? You just stood there as I got the life sucked out of me? You didn't even BOTHER to save me?! To help me?! You clung onto Chibi Usa oh so tightly as you watched me almost die?!" She had a hard time saying that last part. She was too much in shock and pain that it was hard to speak. It was one thing that Mamoru saved Chibi Usa instead of her in the boat, but the fact that he just stood there watching her as she got the energy drained out of her completely ate away at her heart. 

"Usagi, I wanted to save you, I just--"

"You'd rather see Chibi Usa alive then me! Because she's precious to you! More precious than...." She stopped. Any further she would have broken down and bawled like crazy. Not that she wasn't already. She had enough. "Get out. I... don't want to see you right now... Chiba." 

Mamoru's eyes widened like two wide circles when she called him Chiba. Never had she ever called him Chiba. Even when she hated him. It was either Chiba Mamoru, jerk.. but never just Chiba. Knowing it was hopeless to argue, Mamoru walked past Usagi and left the room, shutting the door behind him. The dam had broken, and Usagi fell to the ground crying into her hands. 

As all of this was happening, her ramen noodles became cold.

* * *

_*"Get out. I... don't want to see you right now... Chiba."*_

He wasn't sure what hurt him the most. Was it Usagi's harsh accusations, the guilt plaguing at the bottom of his stomach, or the fact that Usagi had called him Chiba? The betrayed look in her eyes killed him as she stared at him in complete shock. It was a look he'd never forget. 

It had been two days since that last encounter with the rabbit. Ever since then, they haven't spoken to each other. There would be occasional times where they'd see it each other, but every single time Usagi would just look down on the floor and quickly walk past him. At the Crown, she would come earlier then him just so she wouldn't have to see him. Did she want to avoid him that much? 

He wanted to explain to her why he did what he did. If he could, he would have saved them both, but he knew it was the right thing to protect Chibi Usa. He knew Usagi wasn't a weak damsel in distress. She was a woman who could take care of herself. She didn't need a man to protect her. She was strong, physically and emotionally. It was quite admirable, actually. He knew that in a tough situation, the toughest of the tough, Usagi would get herself out of it with flying colours all by herself.

Chibi Usa was just a child. Perhaps when she grows older she'll be as strong as her darling sister. Until then, he felt the need to protect her. The need to push away all the dangers. That's just how it felt. He wanted Usagi to see what he was feeling... so maybe then she'd take back those things she said. And start calling him Mamoru... 

"Mamoru?" He heard a voice call to him in the back of his mind. "Oii! Mamoru?" The voice continued nagging him at the back of his mind until suddenly it threw him out of his daze. He looked up and stared at a woman in front of him across his dinner table with straight black hair and the eyes of an angel staring at him with the most confused look. "Something wrong?" she asked. 

"No," he lied. "I guess I'm just spacing out. I have a lot on my mind. Sorry, Hina." He stared down at the juicy hamburger meat that Hina had prepared for them earlier in the day. Hina's plate was half full, while his hadn't been touched. Had he been daydreaming for that long? 

Hina smiled sweetly at her future husband to be. "Excited about England?" she asked, cheeriness radiating in her voice. Mamoru weakly smiled and nodded along. England was the last thing on his mind. Thank God she couldn't hear into his thoughts. If she had known he was spacing out because of another woman... He knew it wasn't good to keep secrets, especially from your future wife to be, but...

Hina lifted a finger in the air and smiled. "Don't worry Mamoru! We have almost half a year before we leave for England. So you'll have quite a while before you really have to get excited," she teased, and continued to cut her meat into pieces. 

Mamoru sighed as he stared at the radiant woman in front of him. He didn't deserve a woman like Hina. He had known her since they were kids, and as arrogant as it might sound, he knew it was her dream to marry him. 'She always had her eyes on me, ever since we were little...' To marry Hina was a promise he made with her father. After he got in that car accident that changed his life forever, the Kusaka family took him in and took care of him. Her father was set on making him the successor to his business, and so the arrangement was in exchange for studying in England to study management, he was to wed Hina. Life before graduation, he was free to do as he pleased, but since it was coming up soon, Kusaka-san, her father, sent Hina to live with him to get him accustomed to becoming her husband. Although Hina hadn't moved in officially yet, she came often to visit, and they would go out occasionally. 

He felt obliged to do it, really. They were such nice people, and they took care of him at his lowest. To say no would be like slapping them all in their faces. It's not like he didn't like Hina. She was a beautiful woman, a kind personality, and was a great person to be around. He could fall in love with her, he really could. There were no reasons that he could even think of that would stop him from falling in love with her. 

'Except...' Flashbacks of walking in the rain with Usagi, carrying her home and downstairs, and falling asleep on her shoulder came to him. Shaking his head, Mamoru began to slice away at his rather cold hamburger. He couldn't think of that girl right now. He knew the more he would think about her, the more he would... 

"Wow," Hina replied, throwing Mamoru again out of his daydreams. "You really are excited for England, aren't you? You spaced out again." She threw him a teasing glance before continuing to eat. Mamoru smiled at her, before placing the meat into his mouth. 

"Yeah. I guess I am." 

* * *

_C'est la vie... Watashi ga watashi de iru kagiri... _

Mamoru watched with fascination as Motoki sprinkled turtle food into the fish tank with the biggest grin on his face. It was like a kid on Christmas Day. Such a simple act of feeding his turtle brought the man such joy, such happiness and such pleasure.

He really needed a girlfriend. 

"Oi, Kamekichi-kun. I met some other turtles that you should meet! You can have a love love romance with one of them!" Motoki exclaimed, and poked at the glass. Mamoru shook his head, as he watched Motoki try to pimp off his turtle. The man was crazy! 

"Motoki... I think you should be worrying more about yourself than the turtle," he replied. Motoki looked up at him with a confused stare, before turning back to his turtle. 

"Easy for you to say. You're engaged! I've tried my luck with Usagi-chan and backfired. A man's heart needs time to mend, ne Kamekichi?" Motoki spoke glumly, but his expression remained happy, none the less. Mamoru sighed at the mention of her name, as he stared off at the entrance of the Crown, waiting and hoping for the so said person to walk through. Motoki followed Mamoru's stare towards the door, and wondered to himself why the hell had Mamoru been staring at the entrance since he first arrived. "Mamoru? Is something wrong?" 

Mamoru turned his attention back to Motoki, taking his eyes off the door. "No. Daydreaming, I guess." 

"You've been staring at the entrance for the longest time. It was as if you're waiting for someone to come through--" And at that said moment, the sound of the automatic doors opening caught both of their attentions. Mamoru's eyes quickly darted to the entrance, hoping that it would be no one else but Usagi. 

To his relief, it was. With her three friends, Makoto, Rei and Ami, behind her, they entered and filled the silent building with their girlish teenager laughs and giggles. Mamoru watched with fascination, never taking his eyes off Usagi. Her smile was from ear to ear, and she just looked so happy. It was completely different from the hurt and pained face from the last time he had seen her. Removing himself from the wall, he moved forward a step, but stopped when a pair of brown autumn eyes caught his. 

"Usagi..." he whispered. Usagi's face remained emotionless as she looked into his eyes. It was as if she wasn't sure how to look at him. The tension between the two was obvious, as the girls and Motoki stared at the Usagi and Mamoru, wondering what had happened between the two that would cause this unpleasant atmosphere. 

"Welcome, everyone!" Leave it to Motoki to save the day. Leaning over the counter, he smiled at the four girls. Makoto, Rei and Ami turned to look at Motoki, but Usagi didn't. She remained starring into Mamoru's eyes for a few more seconds, before pulling away from his captivating stare and turning her attention to Motoki. Lucky for her, she didn't see the pain in Mamoru's eyes when she looked away. "Did you hear Minako-chan's new song, Usagi-chan?"

"Ehh?!" Usagi's eyebrows rose to her hairline. "New song?!" 

Mamoru watched as Usagi and Motoki conversed, with a slight jealousy tingling at the back of his spine. How did she manage to change moods so easily? She seemed so full of life when she talked to Motoki about Minako. At that point, she started jumping around whining, and the girls behind her started to giggle. Usagi was such an amazing girl. She brought life to everything around her. No wonder her friends love her so much.

He missed her. There was no denying that. He needed Usagi to realize that the reason why he protected Chibi Usa, but for that, he needed an opportunity. 

Untying his apron, he took it off and walked to the back. Placing the apron down on a table, he grabbed his brown leather jacket and placed it on. Adjusting his collar, he stepped out of the backroom. "Oi, Motoki. I'm going to take a break now. Can you handle it without me?" Motoki nodded. 

"Be back soon." Mamoru nodded. Walking past the counter, he took one last glance at Usagi before leaving through the automatic doors. 

* * *

Sitting next to her bed with her back to the wall, Usagi propped her knees up to her chest, rested her arms on them and placed her forehead on them. Eyes closed, flashbacks of Mamoru running out of the Crown came back to her. Why had he all of a sudden run out? Was it because of her? The tension between the two was amazingly thick that you could cut a knife through it. 'That's not my fault. He had to be a jerk. The biggest jerk. The jerkiest jerk of the jerks.' None the less, while she was staring into Mamoru's eyes today, she realized something. 

She missed him. Missed joking with him, missed yelling at him, missed it all. Sure it had only been a few days since this fight, but a few days can seem like a lot. Tears began to build up behind her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She hated feeling this way about him! Missing him, worrying about him, wanting to be near him... she hated it. 'I hate you, Mamoru! How could you just watch me almost die?!' Mamoru's slip up a few days ago never left her mind. It was one thing to pick Chibi Usa over her, but to not even help when she was in trouble?

The tears fell. 'Damn you,' she cursed herself. Suddenly, two knocks from the door caught Usagi's attention. Although she quickly wiped the tears away, she couldn't hide the redness that began to appear in her eyes. Hopefully it wasn't her mom or dad coming through. 

"Usagi?" The person called from the other side of the door. Lucky for her, it was Chibi Usa. 

"Come in, Chibi Usa," Usagi replied. The door slowly opened as Chibi Usa stepped through. Her hair in two pigtails at the sides of her head, she closed the door behind her in her pink bunny pj's with a smile on her face. Hands behind her back, Usagi tilted her head and saw a brown bag behind her. What was in that bag? Suddenly Chibi Usa's smile faded the moment she saw Usagi's eyes. 

"Usagi! What's wrong?" Quickly running up to her, Chibi Usa went on her knees and looked into Usagi's eyes. Usagi stared down at her with wide eyes, amazed by how caring and sweet she was. Placing on a smile, Usagi shook her head. 

"N-nothing. Just thought about something sad, that's all," Usagi fibbed, but Chibi Usa wasn't buying it. Her lips forming into a pout, Chibi Usa stared at her intently. 

"That was a horrible lie. If you're going to lie to me, lie properly!" She ordered and flicked Usagi in the forehead with her finger. Usagi rubbed her forehead and looked at Chibi Usa with annoyance, but suddenly Chibi Usa's face loosened and became somewhat glum. "Usagi... I know why you're sad. It's because of me, isn't it?" 

Usagi stared at her in shock. "No, Chibi Usa! It's not you, why would you even--"

"Mamoru told me what happened. Well, I made him tell me what happened," Chibi Usa said. At that point, Usagi quickly looked away, unable to look at her. Chibi Usa frowned. "Are you mad at me, Usagi?"

Usagi glanced at her briefly. She wasn't mad at Chibi Usa, but she was the main reason why she was angry at Mamoru. Looking away, she replied, "No." Another flick came to her head. "Ow!" 

"Liar!" Chibi Usa exclaimed. Usagi shook her head in amazement. How did the girl do it? It was like she was psychic! Usagi watched as Chibi Usa placed her hands on her shoulders, and stared intently into her eyes with seriousness and determination. "Look, Usagi... you're being childish. You want to know why Mamoru chose me over you? It's not because he likes me more, or he doesn't like you enough. It's because he knows you're capable of taking care of yourself. He knows you're not some flimsy damsel in distress. When the time comes where you need to stand up on your own, he knows you can do it. He thinks you're a strong and independent woman, who doesn't need some guy saving her every time." 

Usagi's eyes widened as Chibi Usa's words ran through her head. Was what she was saying true? Did Mamoru really think those things about her? "That's why he saved me. I'm still a kid, in his mind. A kid who's completely lost and doesn't know how to take care of herself, and hey, I'm fine with that. I've got to prove him wrong, just like you did." Chibi Usa frowned when she saw Usagi's tears fall from her eyes. "Quit crying, you baby! Quit being such a kid and just go to Mamoru and listen to what he has to say." 

Usagi frowned at Chibi Usa. Yanking herself away from Chibi Usa's grasp, she stood up, and stared down at the child with angry eyes. "Don't call me a baby! He just stood there watching me almost die! He--"

"--wanted to save you, dumbie!" Chibi Usa yelled, also standing up. "But he couldn't bring me into the fight. He knew that, and YOU knew that too. You're just trying not to think that so it'll seem like you're the innocent victim in this. Just understand it from his point of view. He wanted to help you and save you, but he couldn't just leave me alone. It's not like he left you completely abandoned! He escaped when he saw that help came." Chibi Usa paused, and sighed. "In fact, I think at some point he was considering putting me aside to come in and save you." 

Everything Chibi Usa made sense. Every single fact. But she was stubborn. Very stubborn. She walked past Chibi Usa in silence. Usagi wanted to get out of the room before Chibi Usa said anything else. 

"Usagi!" Chibi Usa called, and grabbed her wrist before she could get away. "Wait!" Picking up the bag she had carried inside, she held it up for Usagi to take. "Take it. It's for you." 

Usagi looked at the bag with confusion. A gift? For her? Taking the bag away from Chibi Usa's tiny hands, she pulled the handles away from each other and looked into the bag. Eyes widening at what she saw, Usagi looked at Chibi Usa. "Is this from... is it..."

"Who else?" Chibi Usa asked, while smirking. Wasting no more time, Usagi pulled out the object from the bag, and stared at it in complete shock. In her hands, was the most adorable white stuffed rabbit. It wasn't too big, but it wasn't too small. It stared up at her with the cutest eyes, as it's ears rested at the side of it's head. However, it wasn't the rabbit that got her. It was the small pink piggy in the rabbit's arms. 

She was speechless. There were words she wanted to say, but she couldn't put them together. But again, psychic Chibi Usa came to the rescue. "He gave it to me earlier today to give to you. He misses you, Usagi. And you miss him too. So stop being so damn stubborn and see him!" 

For the first time today, Usagi listened to what Chibi Usa was saying. She was being stubborn, and stupid and childish and... and idiot. It was like everything Chibi Usa said was finally getting to her head. Why did she act like an idiot? It amazed her that Mamoru still wanted to be friends with her, even after the way she spoke to him. She glanced at her clock, and was relieved to see it was only 8. "Chibi Usa, I have to--"

"Yeah, yeah," Chibi Usa smiled and walked past Usagi. Just before she was about to leave to allow Usagi to get ready, Usagi called to her.

"Chibi Usa?" 

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

Chibi Usa smiled. "You're welcome."

* * *

Not even bothering to grab a jacket, Usagi ran out the door as fast as she could. Knowing Chibi Usa would take care of the parents problem, she ran out without worries. However, the moment she stepped outside, drops and drops of rain fell onto her head and body very rapidly. There was no time to grab an umbrella. She had to see him, now. 

Her legs ran as fast as she could to the bus stop. Her uniform was soaked instantly, as well as her hair, but quite frankly that was the farthest thing from her mind. The bus arrived minutes after she got to the stop. The bus driver was slightly annoyed that she was dripping wet, but again, Usagi didn't care. When the bus go to her stop, Usagi hopped off and ran and ran to Mamoru's apartments. 

What would she say to him? Well, she knew what she was going to say, but how? He deserved the biggest apology from her. So maybe some groveling would help? It was only minutes before she arrived at Mamoru's apartments. Stopping in front of it, Usagi began to catch her lost breath with heavy inhales. It was then she realized just how cold and wet she was. Her uniform felt like a second skin right now. Wrapping her hands around her arms, Usagi walked up to the doors towards the intercom. Pressing his button, Usagi waited patiently from him to answer.

Her entire body was shaking. Whether it was the cold or the nervousness, Usagi wasn't sure. Either way, she was shaking like an earthquake. 

There was no answer from the intercom, so she tried again, but again there were no answers. Usagi frowned, and smacked her forehead with her hand. She should have phoned him before she got here to make sure he was home! 'Baka baka baka!' But Usagi was too focused on getting here to think of the small details. After waiting a few more minutes, Usagi concluded that he was officially not home. Lowering her head in defeat, Usagi turned on her heel and began to walk away from the apartments. She really wished Mamoru had been home. This was the sort of thing that couldn't wait. 

"Usagi?" A voice called to her. It sounded familiar. It sounded like... like...

"Mamoru!" Usagi found herself saying out loud. A few meters in front of her, Mamoru stood in the same attire as she saw him earlier in the day. A black and white diamond patterned shirt with a brown leather jacket over it, and black leather pants. Usagi noted how completely dry he was. Looking up at the umbrella in his hand, Usagi felt like smacking herself again. 'Duh.' 

At that moment, Mamoru quickly ran up to her. Usagi never took her eyes off of him, as he got closer and closer. He looked at her with the look that plainly said, 'Are you really here?' Smiling, Usagi replied with her own face message that said, 'Yes, I am.' 

They remained silent for a few minutes, just staring into each others eyes. She could look at him forever. His eyes pulled her in like a whirlpool. Slowly, yet surely. There was something about Mamoru that just lured her in. 

Suddenly, Mamoru shook his head. "You're soaked to the bone, Usagi!" Shrugging off his jacket, he quickly placed it around Usagi's shoulders. Usagi blushed slightly, as his scent of roses and spices filled her nose, almost drugging her. Putting the umbrella over her, Mamoru reached up and brushed away the bangs that tickled her eyes. "Baka. If you were coming over, you should have called. I would have came to you." 

Usagi watched in silence as Mamoru's fingers brushed over her forehead. Her skin tingled incredibly under his touch. "I... I wasn't thinking," she finally spoke up. "I just needed to talk to you." 

"We can talk upstairs. You'll catch a cold--" 

"No." Usagi silenced him by grabbing onto his sleeve. "If I don't say what I have to say right now, then I'll never be able to say it." For some reason at that moment, Usagi had just realized how incredibly close their bodies were. "I-I--"

Mamoru cut her off again. "God, Usagi, you're shaking!" And with that, he put the umbrella in Usagi's hand, and pulled her close to his body. He began to vigorously rub the sides of her arms, hoping to make her warmer. Usagi blushed furiously as she was pressed along the length of his body. She didn't notice how shaky she was until now. Again, whether it was because of the cold or Mamoru, she still didn't know. 

Snaking an arm around her, Mamoru took her hands in his other one and lowered his lips close to it. The umbrella fell to the side, but neither cared. As Mamoru's hair and clothes began to get soaked, he began to blow his hot breath onto them, hoping to warm her freezing cold hands. Usagi looked up at him the reddest cheeks. For some reason, she seemed incredibly warm right now. Maybe it was because of his blowing on her hands, or his arm around her. Either way, she felt completely warm, safe... and... happy. Usagi smiled, as he continued his attempts to make her warmer. Mamoru was such a kind person. Sure he could be a complete jerk at times, but at other times, he was like the greatest guy in the world. 

It made her feel even worse about what she had said to him. 

So she went out and said it. "I'm sorry," she whispered loud enough for him to hear. Mamoru paused momentarily to look up at Usagi. Her head was lowered slightly, and her eyes were focused on his chest. Looking to the side for a few seconds, Mamoru then continued to blow onto their hands. "I've been acting like a complete idiot these past few days. I realized why you did what you did, and I understand why, now. I guess I was just jealous of you and Chibi Usa that I couldn't see past that. I'm sorry for the things I said to you, Mamoru." 

Usagi waited for his response. He continued to warm her hands up with his breath, but he remained silent. Usagi looked at his face, searching for an answer in his eyes. He looked into her eyes momentarily, before looking back down onto their hands. After a while of no reply, Usagi's head lowered. "If you don't want to forgive me, I understan--"

"Why are you jealous of me and Chibi Usa?" He finally asked. Usagi looked up at him again, and this time, he looked back at her. 

"I don't know. Maybe it's because you're so close to her in such a short time. It was like... she was more important to you than I--" She quickly stopped. That didn't sound so good. It was like they were boyfriend and girlfriend the way she was explaining it. "Err, what I mean is... I was jealous how close of *friends* you guys were," she quickly restated, emphasizing on the friends. 

"You're important to me, Usagi," Mamoru replied, and stared deeply into her eyes. Usagi gasped quietly at his words. "In these last few days, we've become great.... friends. So I can understand your jealousy. But you're both my friends, and you're both important to me. No one is more or less important. I value the both of you equally," Mamoru quickly added in, "like with all my friends." 

Usagi nodded. For some odd reason she felt a little disappointed that they both kept emphasizing the whole friend's issue. It was like... she was upset that they were *only* friends? 'No way. That would mean that I LIKE Mamoru. Which I don't!' Usagi smiled at him and blew on his hand. "I value you too, Mamoru. You're an important person to me. Even if you can be the king of jerks sometimes," she teased. Mamoru chuckled. 

"Yeah, even if you can be the queen of annoyingness." 

"Annoyingness?! Me?! I'm hardly annoying at all!" 

"Sure you are, Ko-bu-ta." And with that, his hand released hers and fell to her hip. His fingers began to tickle her sides, while his palm and wrist held her against him. Usagi began to giggle and laugh as his fingers tickled her sensitive skin. "So I'm the king of jerks? Huh?" 

"Ma...mo...ru...!!" Usagi spoke between a fit of giggles. She tried wiggling away, but Mamoru's grip was strong. "Stop... stop.. I can't... breathe...!" She threw her face into his shirt, still giggling. However, the moment her face came in contact with his chest, Mamoru's fingers stopped their torture, as his body became incredibly stiff. Usagi realized this, and wondered what happened. 'Wow... his chest is pretty hard...' 

It suddenly hit her why he had become like a statue. Sometime during his tickle fest, his arms had wrapped themselves completely around her waist, pressing her directly against him. Usagi's hands rested on his hard chest, as she looked up at him. He looked down at her, and for the billionth time today, they lost themselves in each others eyes. 

Usagi felt a heart beat rapidly. At first she thought it was hers, but it was actually Mamoru's. His heart was beating almost as fast as hers! Usagi gulped, as she stared up at Mamoru. His bangs were completely soaked, and they stuck to his skin. Usagi noticed that they were both breathing really heavily. 'Why am I feeling like this?' She also noticed how incredibly close they were. Not just their bodies, but their faces. If she had gone on her tippie toes, she would be lip to lip with him. 

Usagi blushed furiously. 'Lip to lip?! Kissing Mamoru?! No... gross, eww eww... that's disgusting... revolting, vomit material... ick...' She tried to tell herself, but in reality, the thought of kissing Mamoru was far from disgusting. In fact, it felt like... the opposite. Usagi licked her lips as she stared up at his. 'So wait... I *want* to kiss Mamoru?! What the heck?!'

As if he heard her thoughts, Mamoru's head began to move closer to hers, closing the distance between them. Usagi watched in horror as Mamoru's lips moved closer and closer to hers. 'Run! You'll waste your first kiss on him?!' However, it didn't feel like it would be a waste. In fact, it felt... perfect. To have her first kiss here? With him? In this atmosphere? It felt almost too surreal... Not wanting to think of the consequences of what was about to happen, Usagi closed her eyes and lifted her head up slightly, waiting for what would change both of their lives forever.

But just as she felt his lips millimeters away from hers, a sense of danger hit her. Usagi opened her eyes and looked over Mamoru's shoulder, and gasped when she saw a woman behind him. With brown hair tied up in an orange bow, she wore what looked like to be an orange corset and a very short red skirt. She grinned evilly at the two with dark red eyes, and held up a brown whip. She flicked her wrist, and fired the whip directly at the two. 

Usagi gasped, and shoved herself and Mamoru to the side and the two fell to the ground very painfully. Moaning, Usagi quickly sat up, and rubbed her arm. Mamoru shook his head, and rubbed it. "Who the hell..." 

"Second oldest of the Ayakashi sisters, Calaveras," she replied. Holding her arm out with the whip to them, she smirked evilly. "I'm not going to ask you to hand over the Ginzuishou or the Rabbit." Tilting her head, Calaveras licked her lips. "I'm hoping to torture it out of you." 

Usagi gulped. Did this woman know she was Sailormoon? She couldn't transform into Sailormoon, not with Mamoru here. Plus, she couldn't call her friends, otherwise it would seem suspicious. What was she going to do? 

Suddenly out of no where, a flash of light appeared meters away from the three. With a menacing smile, the familiar blonde haired general materialized from out of no where. Usagi gasped. 'Jaedite? What is he doing here?' This was not good. Not only was she defenseless, but now there were TWO enemies to take care of! Jaedite turned his head towards Calaveras and glared at her. 

"Who the hell are you? Why are you looking for the Ginzuishou?" He demanded. Calaveras smirked at him, and pointed her whip at him. 

"Like I'm going to tell you." Usagi looked at the two completely confused. They weren't working together? So whoever these new people were weren't in league with the Dark Kingdom. 

'This is not good, not good at all. We have two separate enemies, both looking for the same thing.... Not good at all!' She had to get out of here, now. Either these two would join together and attack her and Mamoru, or they would engage in a fight. Either way, it wasn't safe for either of them to be here. 

Suddenly, she felt Mamoru's hand wrap around hers. Usagi looked up at Mamoru with confusion as he stood up and pulled her up with him. Without looking at her, he pulled her into a direction away from Calaveras and Jaedite and began to run. Neither of them bothered to stop the two, and continued to stare at each other. 

They ran as far as they could from the fight, but suddenly a huge explosion roared in the background. Usagi and Mamoru stopped and spun their heads around, gasping. In the distance they could see the aftermaths of the explosion; fire and lots of smoke. But before Usagi could even wonder what had happened, a figure materialized from the air in front of them. 

"Well, that was odd," Calaveras said, brushing the dust off of her shoulders. "A short delay." 

Usagi watched as Mamoru stood in front of her with his arm out, as if protecting her. Usagi looked at the back of his head and gulped. She couldn't let him get hurt again, not this time... not again. Calaveras held out her arm and struck them with her whip once again, but this time, Usagi stepped forward. Right when she was about to push Mamoru's body out of the way, Mamoru spun around and shoved Usagi to the side, and she fell to the floor with a large grunt. 

Quickly, Usagi looked up and gasped in horror as the whip headed straight towards Mamoru. 

"MAMORU!"

* * *

SM fan dude person: I used Usa instead of Usako because I think Usa is cuter. Not saying Usako isn't cute ('cause it is!) but I just liked Usa better. ^^"  
Authoress*Crest: *thinks* I'm not sure about Sailor Luna. I'll see how they play it out in the actual show, and we'll see. I don't know if I can add it in to this storyline, but I'll try! Her costume is way too cute!


	8. I swear, I did not look

**Le Lapin Le Plus Rose** (_The Pinkest Bunny_)  
Written by: Neeko   
tanpopo_nyo@hotmail.com

**Author's Notes: **Sorry for the delay! I was planning on getting this chapter out a bit earlier, but right when I was going to sit down and write this darn chapter, I got sick. Despite that, I wrote it anyways, so forgive the errors. I tried my best to edit it under this condition, but I'm not perfect. (Hey, who am I kidding? Of course I am! ^^" Just kidding.) So, has anyone seen Act 26? *shakes fist at writers* I dislike you, right now. 

Err, anyways, this chapter should be fluff mania. Well, it was as fluffy as I could make it. Hurrah! By the way, because of this chapter, I've raised the rating to PG-13. So if you're under 13, umm, you might want to not read this chapter. It's not hentai or anything, it's just... a little... ^^;; Yeah. So, be careful young ones! (If there are any reading this.) Note, there is a scene where Mamoru using healing powers. For those unfamiliar with the manga, Mamoru was able to heal his wounds, just not huge ones. Just in case you go, "Ehh?" when you read that part. Enjoy!

* * *  
Chapter 8  
_I swear, I did not look_  
* * *

"MAMORU!" Usagi screamed at the top of her lungs, as she stared up in horror as the whip wrapped itself around his neck. Pulling up his hands as quickly as he could to stop it from completely wrapping around his neck, Mamoru grunted as the whip tightened its grip on him. Calaveras smirked as she pulled on the whip, making Mamoru fall down to his knees. 

"Tell me where the Rabbit is," she ordered. Usagi watched as Mamoru struggled against the vise like grip, and quickly rushed over towards him. She began to tug on the whip, trying to pull it off of him. 

"Usagi, get out of here!" Mamoru demanded. 

"In your dreams! I'm not leaving you here by yourself!" she retaliated. Mamoru was about to yell at her some more, when something twinkled in the corner of his eye. Glancing over at Calaveras, he watched as she removed both of her earrings, and placed them in her hands. Raising them in the air, Mamoru gasped as black smog began to form above her. Since Usagi was too busy trying to free him, she wasn't prepared for when Calaveras fired the smog at her. Screaming, Usagi held her arms up to shield herself, but she was blown away backwards. 

"Usagi!" Mamoru yelled back in concern, but another jerk of the whip brought his attention back to Calaveras. "You'll pay for that, you bi--" Another yank to the whip cut him off, but this time it was a big jerk, so he fell flat on his face. Calaveras laughed evilly, as she walked up to him while wrapping the whip around her wrist to still maintain control. Grabbing him up by the collar, she pulled him up onto his feet, millimeters from her face. 

"Shush, such anger. That's no way for a king to talk," she teased. 

Mamoru's eyes widened with surprise. 'King? What the hell is she talking about?' "King? You've got your people mixed up. I'm not a king." 

Calaveras started laughing. "Oh, right. You don't know yet." Mamoru looked at her, puzzled. What the heck was this woman talking about? "So, how am I going to kill you two? Really, once you guys are out of the way, everything else will fall into place. Maybe I should start with your girlfriend over there. Knock her unconscious, then send her off to the guys. Oh, the things they'd do to her..." Calaveras looked at him mischievously. Mamoru replied with a glare of pure anger. 

The next moment, Mamoru found himself raising his knee off the ground and shoving it into the stomach of Calaveras. Lucky for him, the bodice she was wearing wasn't that thick, so the impact hurt her more than it hurt him. Immediately she released his grip on his collar, and the whip, and bent over in pain, gasping for air. Taking this opportunity, Mamoru brought back his arm and swung it forward, watching his fist make direct contact with Calaveras' jaw. 

"God damned humans..." Calaveras muttered, as she spat out the blood that trickled from her lips. Thrusting her arms forward, she grabbed the laps of his collar and hauled him towards her again. "Listen you little punk, I'm going to torture the hell out of--" Suddenly, Calaveras gasped. Wondering what had caused her to stop, Mamoru followed her eyes and saw she was looking behind him. But before he could find out what it was, Calaveras threw Mamoru aside and jumped out of the way of green energy beam. 

'What the...' Spinning around, Mamoru gasped when he saw what looked to be a very soaked, dusty and charcoal covered Jadeite, with his arm thrust forward. He remembered him fighting with the Sailor Senshi before. So why would he be attacking Calaveras? 'They're not in league? Then that means there are two enemies...' He scanned the surroundings for Usagi, and was relieved to see her struggling to get up. However, she was across from him, and if he were to run to her, he'd get in the middle of what looked liked to be an intense battle. 

"You. Who the hell are you?! And why the hell did you start that explosion?!" Jadeite demanded, slowly stepping forward. Calaveras held up her whip, and brandished it. 

"YOU'RE the one who started it." 

"My Queen wants to know why you're here," Jadeite explained, ignoring her previous statement. "And why you're looking for the Ginzuishou." He continued to walk forward, but Calaveras remained in her spot. 

"Why are YOU looking for the Ginzuishou? Compared to my Prince, your Queen is out of her league. Tell her to move on out, because there's a new enemy in town," she threatened, and narrowed her eyes at him. Mamoru waited from his spot to see when it'd be a good time to run to Usagi.

However, as if she was reading his thoughts, a flash of black hair caught his eyes. Turning his head, he gasped when he saw the small form of Usagi slowly began to get up. "Ma...moru...?" She called weakly. Mamoru's eyes widened, as her movements caught Calaveras attention. 

Calaveras pointed her chin at Usagi's form. "How about you say we get rid of these kids first?"

"Why?" Jadeite asked. "They're puny humans. I have no use for them."

Rolling her eyes, she smacked her forehead with her palm. "Idiot. Don't you know that she is Sailormoon?!" Spinning around, Jadeite's eyes grew wide as he watched Usagi slowly get up. Shaking her head, Calaveras walked past Jadeite. "You really are an amateur. Let me show you how this is done by a *pro.*" And with that, she brought back her hand holding the whip, and thrusted it towards Usagi's direction.

'Damnit!' Mamoru cursed. Quickly getting up on his feet, he rushed over towards Usagi as fast as his legs could take him. He wouldn't let ANYONE hurt her. Springing off his feet, he held out his arms and pushed Usagi backwards. Relieved to see her fall backwards, he was not however, prepared for the slicing pain that he felt as the whip slapped itself across his stomach. 

"Aggghh!" He groaned, as he fell to his knees, grasping his stomach. It was like a hot spike had shoved itself into his stomach. Clenching his eyes, Mamoru almost wanted to pass out from the pain. But he couldn't... he had to watch over Usagi... he couldn't let anything happen to her. 'You damn hypocrite. Didn't you say she could take care of herself?' He knew she was very capable of doing so, but with two enemies? Usagi was a strong girl, but he wasn't sure if she'd be able to handle both of them alone. 

Soon, the said person came running to him, screaming his name. He felt her soft hands grab gently onto his shoulders, pushing them slightly so he could look up at her. Raising his head slightly, Mamoru gave her a reassuring smile. He looked into her eyes, and quietly gasped. For once in a long time, she looked scared. Scared out of her mind, to be exact. Did she really care about him that much? "Mamoru! Are you okay?!" she asked, and shook him slightly.

He nodded weakly. It was hard to concentrate on what she was saying, when all he could feel right now was the searing pain in his stomach. A warm, sticky fluid coated his hand. Looking down, his eyes widened a bit when he saw the blood covered his hands. 'God, I can't let Usagi see--' But it was too late. 

"Mamoru!!" she shrieked. "You're... you're...!!" Looking up, Mamoru could see the anger and guilt that showed through her eyes. He could see anything through those eyes of hers. "Damnit, you idiot! Why... why'd you..." 

What he wanted to do was reply with some witty comment that people usually say after they saved someone. You know, like in the movies where they say something, and then the two people start laughing, and then the person blacks out? He wanted to say something like that. He had it all planned out, actually. 

Instead, Mamoru decided to skip right to the blacking out part. 

* * *

"Mamoru!!" Usagi screamed, as Mamoru lost consciousness, and fell into her arms. "Mamoru!! Mamoru! Mamoru!!" She called over, and over again. This was the second time he saved her today, and third time in total. How could she have been so stupid to let him do that?! And that bloody wound looked horrible. A puddle near his stomach had already been contaminated with the red liquid. She needed to get him dry and cleaned up, soon. 

Holding his head protectively in her arms, Usagi closed her eyes as she whispered into his hair. "Baka... Baka baka baka baka baka!" She cursed over and over again. Whether or not she was calling herself one or Mamoru, she didn't know. 

Suddenly, the sound of the whip cracking caught her attention. Turning her head around, she gasped when she saw the whip head towards her, but before she could react, the whip began to encircle her neck. Quickly putting up her hands like Mamoru had did earlier to stop it from completely wrapping around her neck, Usagi grunted as Calaveras began to pull the whip forcefully, bringing her forward. 

"Aww, I'm sorry your lover over there couldn't handle it. That's what the punk gets for punching me." 

Usagi glared at her, eyes narrowing into tiny slits. "You!! What do you want?! Mamoru had nothing to do with this!!" 

Calaveras started laughing. "You humans are so stupid. Your lover over there has *everything* to do with this. You just don't know it yet." Turning her attention towards Jadeite, she smirked gleefully. "See? This is how you do it. Don't just go shooting beams everywhere." 

Jadeite scoffed at her suggestions. "I do things my own way," he muttered. Folding his arms across his chest, Usagi watched as Jadeite began to eye her. "So, this is Sailormoon? Never would have guessed. Does she have the Ginzuishou?"

Calaveras shrugged. "She's supposed to." Usagi gasped. SHE has the Ginzuishou? Calaveras must have mistaken her for someone else! There was no way she could possibly have it! "But I'm looking for the one the Princess has." 

Jadeite raised an eyebrow. "The princess? You're looking for the princess, too?" 

"Yes. The Rabbit." 

Usagi's eyes widened into two wide circles. Chibi Usa... was the Princess?! 'So she's the Princess we've all been looking for? How...' It did make sense, though. These enemies were after her, looking for the Ginzuishou... did that mean, Chibi Usa had the Ginzuishou? 'But... why would Calaveras tell Jadeite that? He could just go after Chibi Usa and take the crystal.' Did Jadeite even know who The Rabbit was? 

"Rabbit? Who's this rabbit?" he asked. Calaveras didn't answer. She knew she had said too much already. Instead, she turned her attention back to Usagi. Pulling the whip more, Usagi struggled on her feet to stay back, but Calaveras' grip was too strong. She found herself being pulled closer, and closer, and closer.... 

Suddenly out of no where, a beam of yellow electricity shot out of nowhere towards Jadeite's direction. Completely unaware of it, Jadeite didn't have time to react, as the electricity began to electrocute him. Yelling in pain, Jadeite clutched his head, as he exploded into dust. Completely shocked by this, Calaveras didn't see the crescent moon spin across the whip, slicing it in half. Losing her balance, the whip fell from around Usagi's neck, as she fell backwards onto her behind. Numb with pain, Usagi ignored it, wondering what the heck that thing was. Turning her head, Usagi gasped at who she saw. "You..."

Meters away from where she fell, Sailor V stood with her arm extended, with a golden crescent moon in her hand. 'Was that what sliced the whip in half?' Usagi asked herself. 'If Chibi Usa is the Princess... then who is Sailor V? Wasn't Sailor V the Princess?' None of it made sense. Who was their Princess?

"Sailormoon," Sailor V called, turning her head towards Usagi. She gasped. 

"How did you know--"

"Run away."

"Eh?"

"Hurry. Run, now! I'll take care of her!" Sailor V ordered. Usagi wanted to stay and find out how exactly she figured out her identity, but right now she was out of her league. She had got in a fight with Kooan and almost lost. The only person now who could destroy Calaveras was Sailor V. She managed to underhandedly destroy Jadeite with one shot. She had to be the princess... 

Getting up on her feet, Usagi ran towards Mamoru. Shaking him, Usagi knew she couldn't carry Mamoru if he was dead weight. "Mamoru! Wake up! I can't carry you like this. I need your help!" Raising her hand back, she slapped him across the face, back and forth. His eyes soon shot open, as the pain in his cheeks brought him out of his sleep. "Sorry. Come on, we have to get your wound cleaned." 

Although he was partially unconscious, it was better than nothing. With his help, she pulled him onto his feet. Placing his arm around his shoulder, and her arm around his waist, they slowly began to escape from the battle. Somehow, this all felt familiar. Like she had done this before with him. But the only person she had done this with was, Tuxedo Kamen... 

They were only a block or two away from his apartments, but it was hard to carry him when he would slip in and out of consciousness. Not to mention, the rain made them incredibly slippery, cold and tired. But she had to get him to safety. He saved her life three times already. It was the least she could do to repay him. 

"Mamoru?" she called. If she needed him awake, might as well talk to him. "Oi, Mamoru... please stay awake..." Almost losing her balance, Usagi held on tightly to Mamoru's body. "You need... to stay awake.... please... We're almost there, okay?" With his head hung low, Mamoru didn't reply. He gave a small grunt here and there, but that was about it. She knew he was trying his best to stay awake, and to keep his balance. Lucky for both of them, they had each other for support. 

After what seemed like an eternity, they had reached his apartments. 'Thank God...' If it were any longer, she knew Mamoru would have blacked out right there and then. Going under the cover from the apartments, Usagi looked down at the puddle of water that began to build up underneath them. She knew walking into the nice and clean lobby dripping wet would piss off the janitor... but she was in a crisis! 

"Mamoru... are your keys in your pocket?" What a silly question to ask. Of course they are. Now, the REAL question was, how was she going to get them? Knowing there was only one way, Usagi bit her lip nervously, as she looked at Mamoru. 'You've GOT to be kidding me.' You mean, she had to actually... reach into his pants and pull out his keys? As if almost kissing him wasn't bad enough...

Turning completely red from her own thoughts, Usagi looked down at her feet. Enough thinking about that! She needed to get Mamoru cleaned up and dry, now. Slowly reaching into the pocket closest to her, Usagi looked away as her hand began to sink lower and lower into the cotton pockets of Mamoru's pants. Really, if someone had decided to come out of the elevator right now, it wouldn't look so good. 

Her hand traveled around in the confinements, wondering where the heck those keys were. Disappointed that she didn't find them, she knew the only other place would be... She gulped. 'The other pocket.' Glaring up at the sky, Usagi sighed. 'You're TRYING to kill me, aren't you?!' She knew somewhere up there, laughing at her. '"Look at that girl. She has to stick her hands down his pockets. Gwahah. Gwahaha," is what they'd say. Jerks.' 

Knowing that with her hand closest to him it would be impossible and uncomfortable to reach into his other pocket, so that meant she needed her other hand to reach in there. Summoning the last of her courage, Usagi reached over to his other side. As she fumbled around inside, Usagi shyly looked up, suddenly realizing how close her face was to his right now. She was half thanking whoever it was up there that he was half asleep right now. If he woke up and saw the incredibly embarrassed face she had right now... oh, the teases would be endless! 

Taking a quick glance again up at him, she noted to herself how adorable he looked. She had seen him sleeping before, but it wasn't this close. Rain droplets fell from his soaked bangs and skin, which made him look even more adorable. She was almost mesmerized by the way he looked right now. The water dropped onto his lips, which caught her attention. 'No, don't look at the lips, don't look at the lips, don't look at the--'

She was looking at his lips. 'Darn you lips. Why do you have to look so... kissable!' That's right, she said it. His lips were kissable! At least she wasn't denying it anymore! 'But that didn't mean anything at all! It just means he has nice lips. If a dog came by, it'd want to kiss Mamoru. Doesn't mean the dog actually LIKES Mamoru. The dog just... likes his lips. Yeah. That's it.' 

Oh, how she REALLY wanted to kiss him right now. His lips were pouted, and red... just... yelling at her to do it! She began to move closer and closer, completely enchanted by them. Just when her lips were almost touching his, Usagi jumped back when he felt him stir. "Keys! Keys, keys keys..." She told herself out loud, as she began to do what she was originally supposed to do. 'Look for the keys. Not the lips!' Her fingers finally brushed against something metal. Quickly grabbing onto it, she pulled it out as fast as she could and backed away from the dangerous lips of Mamoru.

Sticking the key into the keyhole, Usagi paused for a moment. Attached to the keys was an M keychain. 'Well, if that wasn't adorable, I don't know WHAT is.' Quickly entering the dry, warm household, Usagi pulled the both of them through the doorway. She looked around at the lavish, sophisticated, and rich looking lobby around her, and then at the puddle of water underneath him. Quietly whistling innocently, Usagi began to limp with Mamoru towards the elevator, hoping no one would pop out of their door and scold them for making the floors so wet.

Entering the elevator, Usagi rested herself and Mamoru against the wall. Closing her eyes, she took in a deep breath, as her muscles began to relax. "Ne... Mamoru... what floor are you on?" she asked. His reply was a half grunt half indistinguishable number. "Okay..." Looking down at his keys in her hand, she was glad to find his apartment number inscribed on one of them. "10th floor it is." Pressing the number, Usagi watched as the elevator doors closed in front of her.

Sighing, Usagi rested her head against the wall. This had been one crazy day. One... really crazy and frustrating day. What time was it, anyways? How was she going to get home? First things first. She needed to clean Mamoru up and make sure his would wasn't infected, or needed stitches. Usagi gulped. What if they did? What was she going to do? Call the ambulance? '"My friend was attacked with a whip wielding crazy maniac. What happened to her? Some Sailor Senshi came by and took care of the job. What was I doing there? Well, I was about to get kissed by this guy, but the maniac attacked us."' 

Closing her eyes, Usagi remembered how close his face had been to hers. How close their lips had been. If only he had done that earlier, then maybe they would have actually... Did it mean something that the thought of kissing him wasn't so disgusting? That it was actually a really nice idea? Like.. a really... nice... idea? Did that mean something? Did that mean she had fallen for Mamoru? 'Never. Never in a million years. As great as a guy this is, I could never like him!' 

Right?

Lucky for her, the ding of the elevator prevented her from answering. "Okay Mamoru, let's go." Pulling him along, Usagi slowly dragged both of them out the elevator. Walking down the white hallway, she stopped when she reached the door that matched up to Mamoru's number. Sticking the key into the hole, she turned it and opened the door. Stepping through, Usagi pulled both of them inside, and closed the door behind them. Slipping off her wet shoes, Usagi looked down at Mamoru's. There was no way she would be able to take them off like this. She would need him on the bed so she could take it off.

'Okay, that sounded bad.' Shaking her head, she pulled both of them up over the step. Lucky for Mamoru, he had wood floors, meaning it'd be easier to clean up. She felt his weight begin to increase, which almost brought her down. "Come on Mamoru, we're almost there. Just hang in a bit longer..." She was completely amazed that he could actually hear and understand her. 'Mamoru, you're stronger than I thought.'

Opening the door that lead into the rest of his suite, she closed it behind him. "Okay. Living room there, kitchen there... so.. hallway, here!" She pulled him towards the right down yet another hallway. 'Wait a minute. If I lay him down on the bed he's going to get it soaked. Hmmm.. towels!' They made their way towards the nearby closet. Opening it, she was relieved to find out it was the towel closet. Pulling out three, she placed them under her armpit and closed the closet door.

Continuing her long journey to his room, she finally made it through. Good timing, because this was about when Mamoru had decided to black out. With her last ounces of strength, she dragged his dead weight body towards the bed. With careful precision, she carefully placed the three towels on the bed and on the pillow. With that being done, she dropped Mamoru's body as gently as she could on top. 'More towels!' She told herself. Running out of the room, she grabbed two more from the closet, and ran back into the room. 

Sitting on the bed, Usagi grabbed onto Mamoru's shoulders and hauled up upwards. Resting his chin on her shoulder, Usagi grabbed the towel and began to rustle it over his head, drying his hair. This kind of reminded her of a baby for some reason. 'Aww, my witto baby Mamo-chan.' She paused for a moment at that name. Mamo-chan? That sounded really cute. She wouldn't be caught dead calling him that in real life, though. 

Taking the towel off, Usagi almost laughed her head off at what she saw. His hair was all ruffled and pointed in every single direction. Oh, if only he could see himself in the mirror right now. Smiling, Usagi was about to lay him back down, but stopped when she realized that his clothing was still wet, and blood stained. She gulped and looked at Mamoru nervously. She had to get him in dry clothes or he get could sick. Plus, she needed to look at his wound. 'So does that mean I... I have to....' 

'No! I will not do that! No way, NO how.' Oh yes, the Gods up there must have been laughing their heads off. 'Laugh all you want, I'm not going to do it! There's no way I'll....' You couldn't PAY her to do it. It was a crime, it was illegal, it was...

...what she had to do. Sighing in defeat, Usagi patted his back. "I swear, Mamoru, I won't look." Starting off with the basics, Usagi slowly and carefully took off his brown leather jacket. 'That was easy.... okay... next!' Next was his shirt. Her hands traveled to his hem, and her fingers wrapped around it. Pausing, Usagi closed her eyes and took a deep breath. 'Just don't look, don't look. Whatever you do, don't look!'

And in one swift movement, she pulled the shirt upwards. It wasn't as easy as the brown jacket since she needed his arms up. So, it took a while, but soon the shirt found itself on the floor next to the jacket. With her clenched as if her life depended on it, Usagi carefully laid Mamoru down. Quickly turning around, Usagi let out a heavy sigh. 'Gods... that was so NERVEWRECKING!' Behind her, on a bed, was a half naked Mamoru. Half naked with his hair tussled Mamoru. Half naked with his hair tussled, UNCONCIOUS Mamoru. Flashbacks of the last time she saw Mamoru shirtless came to her. His chest, his abs, all was revealed to her in those glorious five seconds. All, which was right behind her. All it took was a swift pivot on her part, and then... 'It's not like he'll know! I mean, come on... you have to look at his wound anyways, right? Right!' It was decided. She'd turn around. Pivoting on her bottom, Usagi opened her eyes to Mamoru's lying form and gasped. 

Oh, what a lovely body it was. Still wet from his clothes, it glistened in the light. Although it wasn't like your romance novel covers, with the big guy with gigantic muscles, it was still 'Wow' material. With developed pecks, chiseled abs, and really, really, REALLY nice arms, Usagi found herself blushing like crazy at what she saw. 'My god. Mamoru should walk around with his shirt off. Depriving us ladies of this. I mean, really!' Shaking her head at that thought, Usagi got up and quickly ran out of the room to find a first aid. 'Mamoru, you're going to be the death of me!'

Returning with the first aid box, Usagi sat back on the bed. Pushing aside the arousal she was feeling from looking at his body, Usagi began to concentrate on his wound. For some odd reason, the cut had healed, a lot. Whatever it was now couldn't have bled that much. After disinfecting it, she placed on a wrapping over it and taped it on. It covered half his abs, which helped. A little.

Just as she was about to get a shirt, Usagi paused when she looked down at his pants. Surely, it would have been very uncomfortable for him to be in wet pants. And it could still endanger him to catch a cold! So that meant... 

'Oh, you must be REALLY loving this up there.' There was NO way she was going to do THAT. His shirt was one thing, but... his pants?! The guy was just going to have to live through it. Or, sleep through it. Or, whatever! There was no way, no way in hell she would be doing THAT. Never ever EVER in a million years.

Five minutes later, her fingers found themselves on his belt buckle. 'Damnit.' This time for sure, she wasn't going to look. If she looked here, she'd never be able to look at Mamoru the same, ever again! She felt her heart beat like a freight train, right on time. Her hands were shaking like crazy. 'No duh! You're undoing some guy's pants! Of COURSE you're going to be nervous!' Never would she imagine herself doing this so soon, and to Mamoru! 'Oh please! It's not like you're going to do anything! You're just going to remove his pants. And... that's it. It's not like you're going to LOOK, right?! RIGHT?!' 

Undoing the belt buckle, Usagi let out a breath as it came undone. Next step, the zipper. Her fingers carefully held onto the zipper. She tried her best not to press down, knowing that if she did... it'd get REALLY awkward there. With one swift movement, she pulled it down. 'Kyaaaaaa!' She screamed mentally. Mamoru owed her BIG for this. Biig big big big big big--'Oh god! Why am I saying that right now!? Small! SMALL! No... medium? No! No sizes! Umm... PUPPIES!' 

The button, was easy. Now, the hardest part was the actually pulling off of the pants. First, she removed his shoes and socks. That was easy. Pressing her hands together in a praying motion, Usagi closed her eyes. 'Kami-sama, help me out with what I am about to do!' Fingers digging themselves under his waistline, Usagi was careful not to hold onto his underwear. If she did that... oh, boy. And with one careful motion, she began to bring his pants down, as quickly she could without waking him up. Only God knows what would have happened if Mamoru had woken up now....

With his pants now on the floor, Usagi quickly ran towards his cabinet to find clothes. Quickly. Pulling out a muscle shirt and grey sweats, Usagi carefully ran over to the bed, with her eyes still closed. 'Pants first, pants FIRST!' She ordered herself. She had to open her eyes for this part, but she made sure to keep her eyes away from certain areas. After she got the legs in, all that was left was to pull it up. Hands continuing to shake, Usagi carefully pulled the sweatpants up. 

'Great. Now the hard part's over.' Eyes widening at that comment, Usagi shook her head. 'Soft part's over! I mean... DIFFICULT! Difficult, yes! Over. Done.' She pulled Mamoru back into the sitting position, as she placed his muscle shirt over his head and onto his body. Fixing it in a couple places here and there, Usagi placed Mamoru back on the bed. Dusting her hands off, Usagi smiled. 'Well, that wasn't so tough.' Doing a double check, Usagi made sure everything was okay. She noticed that the pants were a bit off, so she carefully went to fix them. There was a part that was sticking up, Usagi carefully pressed her finger on it to push it down. 

What she was expecting was air. What she WASN'T expecting was to meet resistance. Wondering what it was, Usagi then gasped when it dawned on her. 'Oh.. my... GOD!' She shot up from the bed and covered her face. 'No! That's not possible! He couldn't... couldn't... oh GOD! He did not just... oh... He DID! But...!!' She convinced herself it was the cold. It was definitely the cold! Not her. No, not her. No no no no.

'I have to get out of here, now!' Just as she was about to walk out the door, Usagi stopped. She knew she couldn't leave Mamoru alone right now, and plus, she couldn't if she wanted to. It was raining outside, and there was no way she'd bus alone at night. So that meant... 'I'm stuck here?!' Shaking her head, Usagi walked over to his closet. Pulling out a white button up shirt, Usagi nodded. 'If I'm going to be here, might as well be dry.' 

She bolted out of the room, and headed towards the bathroom. Splashing some water on her face, Usagi smacked her head gently against the mirror. She was going crazy! She'd never be able to look at Mamoru the same after this. Never again. But she had to do it. It was the right thing. And it's not like she ENJOYED it, right? Why, that'd mean deep down she really wanted to do it, and that's definitely not true. Right? 'Right?'

Not answering her question again, Usagi quickly changed out of her wet uniform into the white shirt. She was partly thankful Mamoru was somewhat unconscious. The uniform stuck to her like a second skin. Usagi looked down at where the shirt ended, which was just above her knees. The sleeves went all the way down her arm past her hands. Giggling, Usagi inhaled the scent from the shirt. 'Smells like laundry.' What a comfortable shirt! 'If I were Mamo-chan, I'd wear this all the--' Shaking her head, Usagi laughed. 'I mean, if I were MAMORU, I'd wear this all the time.' It was a simple mistake. Really. It was.

Picking up her uniform, she slowly went back into the room and grabbed Mamoru's clothes, all at the same time keeping her head down. The hardest thing to do from now on is to look at Mamoru without blushing, which she knew would be a very hard thing to do. 'Damnit! Quit with the hard!' She told herself. 'Pick a different WORD!' 

Quickly running out of the room, she made her way to his laundry room. Popping the clothes in the dryer, she closed the door and turned on the machine. Knowing it'd be a while before either Mamoru woke up or the dryer stopped, Usagi decided to do something while she waited. Making her way back to the living room, she decided to cook something for when Mamoru would wake up. What's the best thing to make a guy after they saved your life? 'Ramen, of course!'

Tugging the bottom of her white shirt down a bit, Usagi slowly made her way to the kitchen. She searched high and low in his cabinets for instant ramen, and was happy to find one. Grabbing the packet, she began to look for his pots and pans to start boiling the water. When she found one, she placed it on the stove and poured in water. Turning on the heat, Usagi waited patiently for the water to heat up.

Glancing at the clock, Usagi was surprised to see it was already 9. When had time flew by so quickly? 'What am I even doing here? I should be at home doing my homework! ...okay, that was a lie, but I should be at home! Not at some guy's apartment half naked cooking ramen.' What would her parents do if they found out? Her mother would throw a fit! Her dad... would murder Mamoru. 'Well, I guess there's a good side to it,' she joked. 'I should phone Chibi Usa to find out what she told my parents. Or maybe I should wait for Mamoru wake up?' 

Oh, she couldn't wait for that to happen. She still couldn't believe she DID what she just did. Actually, she couldn't believe she FELT what she just felt. 'I touched his... his...' The words couldn't come out. She was too embarrassed to even think of it! Her face grew hot the moment she thought of it. 'I really hope he didn't feel that. Oh god. What's he going to say when he wakes up!?'

_"Umm, Usagi, why are my clothes different?"_

_"I changed you, but I swear, I did not look! No touching, either! Nope. No poking, if that's what you're thinking! None what so ever." ___

Groaning, Usagi smacked her head with her palm. It was just so confusing! This whole NIGHT was confusing! First the attempted kiss, then Calaveras, and then... changing him, and then... some part of her wished she wasn't here when Mamoru woke up. 

After the ramen finished cooking, Usagi placed the lid over the pan and turned off the stove. There was no use eating it without Mamoru. 'I *could* go into that room and check up on him. Huh, yeah, if I was crazy!' That room as of now was dangerous territory. Anyone with the name of Tsukino Usagi should not allowed in a five mile radius of that place. 

Stepping out of the kitchen, her mouth began to hum a familiar Minako song, as she walked around the living room, inspecting things. It was a rather clean apartment. Actually, it was a REALLY clean apartment. She ran her finger along a shelf and frowned when not one spec of dust was to be seen. 'My God this man is such a perfectionist.' She found it a little odd that there wasn't any family pictures around. She was hoping to find one of him to take and use for future blackmail purposes, but hey, c'est la vie. 

There was one picture that caught her attention. It was a picture of him and a girl when they were young, with an older looking man and woman behind them. Picking up the picture frame, Usagi tilted her head slightly. Were those his parents? She smiled at the sight of little Mamoru. He was a cute kid. He looked so innocent, so gentile, so childlike. 'Which is so unlike what he was today,' Usagi teased. But who was that girl beside him? She didn't look a thing like Mamoru. 'Come to think of it, none of them do.' The mom and dad looked more like that girl than they did Mamoru. Was Mamoru adopted? 

Putting the picture back down on the shelf, Usagi plopped herself down on the nearby couch. This is exactly what she needed after a tiring and frustrating day. Closing her eyes, she let her body relax and drift off to dream world. 

* * *

Oddly enough, he had the best sleep in the world. He didn't know why, or how, but when he was sleeping, he felt really... great. Despite that jabbing pain near his stomach. So, waking up wasn't something he wanted to do, but it was something he had to. If he could, he would stay in that sleep forever. Really. There was something about it that just made him feel so wonderful. 

Mamoru slowly sat up, clutching gently at his wound. He was happy that it healed a lot during his sleep, but not enough to numb the pain. He carefully lifted up his shirt and--

'Hey wait a minute. I wasn't wearing this shirt.' Examining his clothing, Mamoru raised an eyebrow when his attire was definitely not what he was wearing earlier in that day. When did he change? 'I remember the fight with Calaveras... and then after that...' Everything was pretty much blank. So how was it possible that he had a complete different set of clothes on? It was impossible that he changed after he got home. He was too busy being unconscious.

Speaking of which, how exactly did he get home? And what happened with Calaveras? 'Usagi...' Where was Usagi? 'Maybe she's here?' He sure didn't put that wrapping on his wound. 'So if she put that bandage on, then does that mean she....?' 

Feeling his face grow immediately hot, Mamoru turned himself so his legs dangled off the bed. Memories of earlier in the day came to him. Holding her, blowing onto her hands, and almost kissing her. He knew he would have kissed her too, if it weren't for that damn Calaveras. But wasn't that a good thing? 'If I had kissed her... then everything would have just turned upside down.' He blamed everything on the heat of the moment. 'It was the atmosphere! The rain, the closeness, the friction... it was all hormones. Nothing besides that.' He had Hina. He didn't need anyone else. He didn't want to break her heart. She of all people didn't deserve it. 

He wasn't going to deny that it felt wonderful to hold Usagi. It felt even more wonderful to be close to her. But did that mean anything? No. Was he going to do anything about it? No. Did that prove anything? No. (Except that hormones are evil.) 

Carefully getting up from his bed, Mamoru flinched slightly when a jolt of pain stabbed at his stomach. Clutching his wound, he carefully limped out of his room. On his way out, he tripped slightly on his shoes. "What the--" How did his shoes get here? He knew he didn't leave his shoes there. Unconscious or not, Mamoru NEVER wears his shoes inside the house. He continued limped his way towards the living room. The scent of ramen filled his nostrils as he passed the kitchen. 'Okay, I know for sure I didn't cook that. Then that could only mean one thing...' 

He turned the corner and there was Usagi, sleeping so peacefully on his couch in a long white shirt. 

In HIS long, white shirt. 

Ignoring the blush creeping up on his cheeks, he slowly walked towards the sleeping form, and stared down at her. She looked really beautiful like this. Squatting on his knees, he stared at her face, and watched as she mumbled a few words here and there. Brushing away a few bangs from her eyes, Mamoru quickly pulled his hand back when she moved. Luckily, she didn't wake, and only stirred around. Letting out a sigh of relief, Mamoru stood back up. 

'So did Usagi bring me here?' No wonder she was sleeping. She had to practically carry him all the way here! Mamoru scratched the back of his head as his heart began to fill with guilt. 'Well, at least she's safe.' Bending over the couch, he stuck his arms under her knees and back. In one swift motion, he carefully lifted her up from the couch and held her safely in his arms. Turning around, he began to make his way back to the bedroom. His wound began to nag at him, but he ignored it. 

There was something so surreal about what he was doing. Holding Usagi always made him feel... wonderful. What was it about this girl that made him feel this way? Carrying her like this to his bedroom was like he was carrying his bride on their honeymoon night. Shaking his head at that stupid and silly thought, Mamoru ignored once again that creeping blush. 

Finally reaching his bedroom, he gently placed her down on his bed, careful not to wake her up. She stirred here and there, but she was fast asleep. Staring down at her form again, Mamoru noticed just how cute she looked in his shirt. 'It suits her,' he thought. He then pulled the blanket over her body, making sure it covered it completely. 

Just as he was about to turn around and head back to the couch, the sound of a whimper caught his attention. Twirling around, he gasped when he saw the noises were coming from Usagi. There she was, shaking her head, eyes clenched, and hands griping at the blanket. 'She's having a nightmare.' Then, she began to quietly whisper, "No... No.... No...." which then began to grow into screams. "NO! STOP! DON'T!" And that's when she began to reach out into the air, trying to grasp something. Before Mamoru had a chance to wake her up, Usagi bolted right up, jaw wide open with a blood chilling scream escaping from her lips. 

Instinct took over him, as Mamoru rushed over to the bed and sat down on it. Placing his hands firmly on her shoulders, he began to gently shake her, and called out to her. "Usagi! Usagi!" The shaking halted the screams, but it didn't stop the nightmare. Mamoru's eyes widened at the look on her face. Her eyes were wide as his, with tears falling from them. Lips trembling, hands shaking, Usagi threw her face into her hands and began to weep. 

It killed him to see her like this. What did she dream of? Without thinking, he pulled the shaking form into his embrace. Stroking her back, he began to whisper soothing words into her ear. "It's okay... it was just a bad dream... I'm here, Usagi. Don't worry..." He felt her shaking die down slowly, which was good. Mamoru suddenly grew stiff when he felt her arms wrap around his waist, and her face smoosh into his chest. He would have remained statue-like too, but her crying shook him out of it. Holding her tighter, Mamoru rested his chin on her head. 

He wasn't sure why he was doing this. Even though he had no clue what it meant, Mamoru felt a need to protect this girl. To make sure nothing bad ever happens to her. Perhaps it was just an excuse deep down to be close to her? He didn't know at the moment. He didn't want to think why or what it meant that he was doing what he was doing. All he wanted to do was make her smile again... 

After a few minutes, he felt her crying and shaking stop all together. All he heard were quiet sniffs. Suddenly, Usagi pulled away from him, as if she was embarrassed at what they were doing. Wiping the tears away from her eyes, Usagi laughed a bit. "Sorry... I guess I got a little carried away." 

Mamoru was a little upset that she pulled away so abruptly, but then again he wasn't surprised. "That's okay. God, Usagi, you scared me. What happened? You woke up screaming." Usagi's eyes widened, like a deer caught in headlights. 

"I did...?" Laughing again, Usagi shook her head. "I'm an idiot. Sorry if I scared you, Mamo-ch--... Mamoru..." She quickly corrected herself. Mamoru raised an eyebrow. Was she just about to call him Mamo-chan? 

"Hey. No one can call you an idiot but me," he teased, while smiling at her. She laughed again and smiled back at him. "There, see? I got you to smile." Usagi looked up at him with surprise, and then quickly looked away. 'Why is it so hard for her to look at me?' It was like she was embarrassed or something. Did holding her really embarrass her? 

"Thanks. I'm okay now, I guess. It was just... a really bad dream."

"You want to talk about it?" 

"...no... not right now..." Usagi replied, biting her lip. Mamoru nodded, getting the message. He was bothering her. 

"Okay. Well, I'll be out there if you need me--"

"You're leaving?" She quickly asked, looking up at him. 

"I figured it'd be easier to sleep without me nagging at you," he half joked. Usagi shook her head.

"No, you're not nagging at me," she replied. Taking a deep breath, she sighed. "but..." 

"...but?" She looked back down at her lap. Mamoru frowned. Why was it so hard to look at him?! 

Usagi continued to bite on her lip. "Could you do me a favor?" Mamoru raised an eyebrow, but nodded. Usagi took another deep breath, before shyly looking up at him through her eyelashes. "Could you... stay here?" 

Her question had completely startled him. She was asking him to stay? Here? In the same room as her? Feeling his face turn red, he looked down at his lap as well, scratching the back of his head. No wonder she was having a tough time looking at him. "Sure, I guess," he found himself saying. Was he crazy?! Staying in a room with another woman? That isn't Hina? That is... Usagi?! "I'll bring in some blankets for the floor and--"

"No," she replied, shaking her head. "Umm... I meant, could you stay _here,_" she restated, pointing at the bed. Mamoru's eyes widened like two huge circles at what he had just heard. She was asking him to stay in the same BED?! Was she crazy?! Usagi saw this, and her eyes grew wide as well. Quickly shaking her head, she waved her arms back and forth. "No, not like THAT! I just..." Her eyes traveled away from his again. "...when you held me just now, I felt really safe... and... I guess I'm a little frightened. No, I'm really frightened." Mamoru blushed when he heard what Usagi had just said. He made her feel safe? "It's a stupid idea, I'm sorry. Never mind, forget--"

"No," Mamoru quickly replied, while looking up at her. "I'll do it." He was officially crazy. But it's not like he was going to do anything. He'd just make her feel safe. That's all. 

She tilted her head. "Are you sure?" 

He nodded, and pivoted on his bottom so that his back was to the pillows. "Just don't drool on me," he teased. Usagi frowned, and hit him in the shoulder. 

"Jerk. I don't drool!" 

"Oh really? We'll see about that," he replied confidently. He watched as Usagi shook her head and mumbled a few curses here and there underneath her breath. Pulling the blanket over his body, Mamoru laid his head back onto the pillows. So what was he supposed to do now? Hold her? He looked up at Usagi, unsure of what to do. What did she want him to do? Just sleep here? 

Usagi smirked at him, before going under the covers as well. Since his bed was quite a small one, Usagi turned on her side so that there was more room. Pulling the blanket over her body, Mamoru glanced over at her back. She just wanted him to sleep here? 'I'm not disappointed. Not the least bit.' 

His plan was to book it after she fell asleep. Really, as much as he wanted to, sleeping in the same bed with another girl was just not a good idea. Even though it was Usagi, and even though he owed her, he couldn't let himself do it. "Comfortable?" he asked, hoping to strike a small conversation before she slept.

"Y-yeah..." Usagi replied as she turned on her other side so that she faced Mamoru. "Thanks, Mamoru..." she whispered, and smiled up at him. "I appreciate you doing this." Mamoru looked over at Usagi, and smiled back. 

"Hey, no problem," he whispered. Usagi smiled, and closed her eyes. Mamoru turned on his side, and watched her for a few moments. She really was a delicate creature. She looked so innocent, so vulnerable, so... beautiful like this. It was so tempting just to reach out and stroke her cheek, or brush away those pesky bangs that dangled dangerously above her eyes. 

Mamoru frowned. What was wrong with him? When did he start thinking like this? When had his perception of the Kobuta evolve into... this? Whatever the heck it was. Could he be falling for her? This wasn't good. He couldn't be falling for her. This was Usagi! He had so many other things to deal with. Hina, the Princess, the Ginzuishou... he didn't need this. He couldn't have it. He just couldn't. 

Five minutes had passed of him just staring at her. There was definitely something wrong with him. Suddenly, Usagi began to stir, catching his attention. Was she having another nightmare? Then came those whimpers. Darn those whimpers. They pulled him in like a black hole. He found his arms slowly wrap around her, pulling her smaller body closer to his while his hand began to stroke her back. The whimpering began to die down, which pleased Mamoru. Yep, he had that magic touch. 

How did it feel so GOOD to hold her like this? She was so warm, so small, so... perfect. It was like a drug. A REALLY intoxicating one. He didn't care of the aftermaths, or whatever was beyond this moment. All he cared about what was happening right now. He didn't give a crap what it could mean. All that mattered was holding her, and making her feel safe. 

He would leave in 15 minutes. That would give her enough time to fall asleep, right? Still, he needed some way to pass the time. "Usagi?" he called. Smartest idea, ever. Bug her while she was trying to sleep. Still, when the opportunity came to tease her, he couldn't pass it up. There was no reply for a while, like he expected, but she eventually replied.

"...mmm?" Her response was more of a half moan half yes.

"Are you sleeping?" 

"...mm... I was..." 

Five minutes passed.

"Hey Usagi...."

"...yeah...?" 

"Nothing." 

Another five minutes. 

"Usagi?"

"WHAT, Mamoru?!" 

A small smirk formed on his lips. "So, did you like what you saw, today??" he teased. At that moment, he could feel Usagi's face burn up. That's when she started to push away on his shoulders, but he held on tight. "Really, if you wanted to see it, you could have just asked..."

"Shut up!"

"Did you really want to see me that badly?"

"QUIET!" 

"Does this mean I get to see yours?"

"SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!!"

"That was a naughty poke you gave me, too."

"OH MY GOD, SHUT UP!!" 

Mamoru laughed at her embarrassment. Yeah, he could get use to this. 

* * * 

"Venus, Love me... Chain!!" Pulling her heart chain from her waist, Sailorvenus threw it towards Calaveras. As it snapped against her rapidly, Calaveras screamed as she exploded into tiny bits. Placing her whip around her waist again, Sailorvenus sighed. She had transformed to this form earlier in the battle, since this enemy was tough. Tougher than the last one she fought.

Who were these people?! And why were they after Sailormoon? More importantly, why are they after the Ginzuishou? 'They're not in league with the Dark Kingdom. The Sailor Senshi are no match for them in the state they're in right now.' She had to find out who these people were and to get rid of them quickly. 

"Artemis?"

"Hmm?" The white plushy cat asked.

"The Sailor Senshi must awaken."

"But... it's not time for them--"

"Make it time. We have a new enemy, and we need them awakened as soon as possible," she explained. "Before..."

Artemis nodded. "I understand." 

Unknown to them, Zoicite watched them from the shadows. Smirking to himself, he turned around, cape fluttering behind him. "Sailor V..." 

* * *

kawaii gurl-11: "Le Lapin Le Plus Rose" means "The Pinkest Bunny" or "The Most Pink Bunny." Go me and my French skills.


	9. Requiem for two princesses

**Le Lapin Le Plus Rose** (_The Pinkest Bunny_)  
Written by: Neeko   
tanpoponyohotmail.com

**Author's Notes: **Sorry this chapter took so long! I wrote about half of it two weeks ago, but my computer got infected by the virus, so I had to re-write it over again. If the last chapter confused you, then this one probably will too. It will all be explained sooner or later, don't worry. Thanks for the 100 reviews! hugs and kisses to all

----  
Chapter 9  
Requiem for two Princesses  
----

His weary, tired eyes slowly opened, as the sun shone through the window, bathing his body in the warm light. Honestly, Mamoru did not want to wake up. For some odd reason, he felt so damn comfortable here in his bed. Maybe there was something special about today? Maybe he had managed to sleep in such a perfect position? Or maybe it was that warm body wrapped around him? Or maybe...

'Hey, wait a minute. There's not supposed to be a warm body wrapped around me.'

Oh, but there was. Not just anybody's body. It was the body of Usagi. The warm, delicate, petite body of Tsukino Usagi's entwined with his. 

Immediately, Mamoru became stiff like a statue. 'How did I let this happen?!' He was supposed to leave the moment Usagi fell asleep, but somewhere along the line he must have fallen asleep as well. 'This is not good, not good, not good at all! What if she wakes up? She's going to KILL me! Not just kill kill me. She'll kill, murder, torture me!' Not to mention, sleeping in the same bed with another woman that isn't your fiancée, isn't such a good thing. 

He didn't want to leave. As much of a horrible situation as this was, there was a reason why he felt so damn comfortable. Was it the way her head rested peacefully on his chest, with her arm draped over, and occasionally hugging him? Was it the warmth of her body? Was it the way she felt so perfect in his arms? Or was it the way her leg somehow made its way during the night across his? Whatever it was, he wished and hoped it wouldn't go away. 

'But you have to! Will power!' Placing his hand on top of hers, he gently lifted it up, peeking at Usagi's sleeping form to see if she was disturbed. She stirred here and there, but she didn't wake up. Lifting her arm up, Mamoru was just about to gently push her off his arm, when suddenly the room filled with the loud, buzzing sound of the alarm going off. 

"AAHHH!" Mamoru shouted, startled by the sudden noise. Scrambling to quickly turn it off, he slammed his hand on the off button, and silenced the annoying sound. Suddenly realizing the error of his actions, Mamoru gasped in horror when he heard the sounds of Usagi stirring. Scrambling to get as far away as he could, he dove off the bed, but his legs were tangled in the sheets, causing him to do a dive off the bed face first.

THUD

"God damnit..." he cursed. That hurt like a mother. With half his body still on the bed, Mamoru groaned when he heard the girlish giggles coming from behind him. "Ha ha. Laugh all you want. I did it on purpose." 

"So you always swan dive off the bed every morning?" Usagi teased, and stuck her tongue out. Mamoru let out a frustrated sigh. He felt the bed move suddenly, so he turned his head to see what she was doing. Usagi plopped herself right next to him in the same manner with half her body on the floor, and half her body on the bed. Startled by her sudden change of position, Mamoru tried to hide the flaring blush on his cheeks as Usagi smiled at him. "This isn't very comfortable," she commented. 

"What are you talking about?" he asked. "It's the best way to sleep. Great way to work your... back..." Usagi giggled, which made Mamoru blush even more. 

"Why'd you jump off the bed, anyways?" 

"I always do this. It's a ritual. Practicing my diving skills. I'm going to be an Olympic diver in a few--"

"I asked you to sleep here with me. It's not like we intentionally went into that position, right?" she tried to reassure him. Mamoru glanced at her briefly, before looking back down at the floor in front of him. She was right. Heck, she was always right. 

"I just didn't want to wake up with a black eye. Which is kind of silly, because I doubt you could give anyone a black eye," he joked. Usagi frowned at him, and raised her fist menacingly. 

"Oh, I'll show you I can give you a black eye. Just try me!" 

"Ok ok, I take it back." A jolt of pain shot up his back, telling him to get the hell out of this position. Listening to his back, Mamoru turned his head towards Usagi. "Hey, since the blood is running dangerously to our heads right now, how about we go have some breakfast?" 

Suddenly, Usagi's face went completely white. The blood that was supposed to be running to her brain disappeared completely. The sheer horror on her face scared the hell out of Mamoru. Why was she so--And then it hit him.

"Your parents--"

"ARE GOING TO KILL ME!!" She screeched, scrambling to both get off and get on the bed. At this time, she really didn't know what to do. All that mattered was to get to a phone, quickly. Mamoru smacked his head, disappointed in himself. Why did he let her sleep here the whole night?! She must feel so violated, disgusted, revolted... feeling what he SHOULD be feeling right now. (Which he wasn't.) He watched as Usagi pulled herself off the bed and dove for the phone, dialing numbers in a flurry. Suddenly, a thought hit him, and Mamoru pushed himself as well off the bed quickly grabbed the phone from Usagi and hung it up. "Hey!! What are you--?"

"Wait. You said Chibi Usa was going to take care of your parents."

"Yeah, but I wasn't planning on spending the night--"

"Well, she must have told them something when you didn't arrive home last night, right?" he asked, hopefully reassuring the frantic girl. He saw her face loosen slightly, and was partly relieved. "Here, I'll phone her, okay?" He picked up the phone again, and motioned for her to dial it. As she dialed, somewhere in his mind took mental note of the numbers. 'Stalker.' She handed him the phone, and he placed it to his ear. After 3 rings, a voice of a small familiar girl greeted him. 

"Moshi moshi!" 

"Chibi Usa-chan?"

"Mamoru! Good morning!" 

"Good morning, Chibi Usa-chan. Say, I was wondering, what did you tell your parents about Usagi?" 

"Oh... is that why you called?" Mamoru frowned. She sounded almost disappointed... "Err, I mean, I told them that Usagi had to stay overnight at a friend's for a project."

He let out a sigh of relief, and gave Usagi a reassuring smile. "Great. I knew I could count on you, Chibi Usa. Your sister was freaking out this morning when she woke up."

"Really? That's Usagi. I'm surprised she woke up so early. I figured she'd sleep in considering all the things you guys probably did last night," Chibi Usa replied. Mamoru immediately turned red at her words. "With making up, and all that stuff. Right?" 

Mamoru broke out into nervous laughter. "Ha ha ha! Of course! Yeah. We sure did. Anyways, I'll bring her home after breakfast, ok?"

"Ok. See you later, Mamoru!"

"Bye bye." Hanging up the phone, Mamoru glanced over at Usagi and shook his head in amazement. "You're lucky you have such a smart sister. Good thing she doesn't take after you," he teased. Usagi shot a glare towards him and frowned. "Anyways, she said you're staying overnight at a friend's house for some project. You're safe." He watched as Usagi fell back against the floor in relief. Chuckling, Mamoru smirked at the girl. "Don't worry. Your mom and dad won't find out you slept in the same bed with a handsome man." 

Usagi grinned. "That's because I didn't." It was Usagi's turn to tease him, but Mamoru knew two people could play at this game. Standing up, Mamoru hovered over her and crossed his arms across his chest.

"Fine. No pancakes for you." And with that, he turned around and left the room, leaving Usagi to ponder her actions. Only seconds after he left through the doorway, he started to hear Usagi's pleas for forgiveness. 

"Gomen Mamoru! You are handsome! Handsome like.. the sun!"

"The sun isn't handsome."

"Compared to you it isn't!"

----

Mamoru laughed. "Ok, let's get you some breakfast before you start scaring me."

Although the wall was preventing her from actually seeing him, images of Mamoru cooking pancakes entered the amused mind of Usagi. She imagined him wearing a chef's hat with an apron and flipping the pancakes like a pro. 'That'd be funny if he had a French accent.' Giggling at that thought, Usagi rested her chin in the palm of her hand as she waited patiently for her breakfast.

There was something surreal about waking up in Mamoru's arms this morning. She wasn't sure why, or how, but it all felt so wonderful. And him cooking her breakfast? It was like they were some happily married couple, and even though it was Mamoru, it brought a smile on her face. 'Yep, I could get use to this.' It's not like she liked Mamoru. She just liked that it seemed like she was living in some fantasy world. 

She really didn't intend on asking Mamoru to sleep with her, but after that horrendous dream, she would have asked anyone to stay with her. Images of people rotting away from a toxic gas came back to her. The skin melting away, their screams of horrors; Usagi watched them all suffer. It was the most horrible thing she had ever seen. The dream ended when a black lightning headed straight her way, which again, scared the bajeebuz out of her. Luckily, she was able to sleep that night because of Mamoru. Jerkwad or not, she felt safe around him, which was odd. The one man who knows just how to push her buttons the wrong way, is the one man (besides her father) that made her feel safe and warm. 'Mamoru of all people. Who would have thought?' 

A few minutes after, Mamoru arrived with a plate full of pancakes, sans the chef hat and apron Usagi was hoping he'd be wearing. Mamoru looked at her with a puzzled look. "What?" 

"Nothing," she lied. Giving her a weird look, he shook it off and placed the plate on the table. Sitting down right next to her, Usagi blushed immediately. She wasn't expecting him to sit right next to her. Trying to keep as calm as possible, Usagi reached over to grab the syrup, but Mamoru quickly intervened and grabbed it before her. "Oi! I was going for it first." 

Plopping a pancake on his plate, Mamoru smirked. "You should have gotten it faster, then. Besides, you don't even have any pancakes on your plate." 

"I was going to get it after I got the syrup!" 

"Oh well, not like there's anymore left for you anyways," he explained, and tossed the bottle aside. Usagi's eyes widened in complete shock. 

"Oi! You took all the syrup!" 

"Well, it is my syrup."

"Still! You can't eat pancakes without syrup!"

"Sure you can." And with that, Mamoru began to eat his syrup-y pancakes in front of Usagi's face, while she had to just sit there and watch. The nerve of him! Just as he was about to place a piece of it in his mouth, he surprised Usagi by grabbing her plate, and switching it with his. "Just kidding. Like I'd let you eat pancakes without syrup." 

Amazed by his sudden generous gesture, Usagi stared at him, jaw ready to fall to the table. "But... then you have no syrup." 

"Oh, so now you're being Miss generous? Either take the syrup or not," he replied coldly. Usagi frowned, and reached over to switch their plates. "Oi!"

"I don't want your syrup pancakes. You got them first, so you should have them!" 

Mamoru rolled his eyes and switched the plates again. "You wanted it first, so have them!"

Switch. "I was too slow!"

Switch. "I was too fast."

Switch. "But syrup less pancakes is horrible!"

Switch. "I think I'll live."

Switch. "Don't patronize me!"

Switch. "Do you even know what patronize means?"

Switch. "Of COURSE I do! Now just keep the damn pancakes!"

Switch. "You eat them."

Switch. "YOU eat them." 

Switch. "No, YOU eat them!"

Switch. "No, YOU."

"Okay." Mamoru finally agreed, and placed a piece of it in his mouth. Usagi's eyes grew wide when she saw this. He ACTUALLY ate it! He's not supposed to do that! Usagi reached forward and snatched onto his wrist before he could get another piece. "What?!" 

"You actually ate it! You're supposed to be generous and be like, 'No Usagi, you have it. I really want you to have it. I don't want it at all.' Then I would be like, 'Okay Mamoru, I'll have it. If you really want me to.' You're not supposed to actually EAT it!!" She yelled at him. She watched as Mamoru's eyes traveled down uncomfortably to her hand around his wrist, and she quickly let go, before it got awkward. 

"Here." Cutting the pancake in half, he dumped it on Usagi's plate. "There. Now we both get it." 

Again, Usagi stared in amazement at his second generous gesture of the day. What happened to the REAL Mamoru? This had to be some kind of robot. The real Mamoru wouldn't do this! The real Mamoru would eat it right in front of her face. How could someone have changed so much, so quickly? "Oh, Mamoru. There's hope for you yet." 

He scoffed. "What's that supposed to mean?" 

"Nothing," she quickly spoke. "Well, except..."

"...except?"

A little embarrassed, Usagi glanced at him with a large smile on her face. "Thank you," she replied. Mamoru looked up at her, and smiled back.

"...you're welcome."

----

They finished breakfast a bit earlier than expected. Knowing it'd be suspicious if Usagi arrived at home early in the morning, they decided to bum around since they had time to kill. They rested in Mamoru's living room. Usagi laid across the couch, with Mamoru sitting on the opposite end, with her feet propped up on his thighs. They started to talk about numerous things; school, friends, people, and different kinds of things they never knew about each other. Who would have thought Mr. Sophisticated had a secret lover named Chocolate? Deep down that cool exterior was a kid bursting to get out. 

Then, the topic of family came up. Mamoru started asking her about memories with Chibi Usa, which was a problem for Usagi because, well she had none. Lucky for her, she was able to steer clear from them. "Must be great having a little sister," Mamoru commented. 

"I guess. If you don't mind someone imitating your every move, taking everything you own, and annoying you 24/7." She was talking like she knew how it felt her whole life, when actually it only happened to her just recently. "But you're right. It is great having a little sister like her. I mean, sure she's annoying, but she's a great listener. And a great advice giver. She's smart for her age, too! I wouldn't even be here if it weren't for her." It was Chibi Usa who convinced her to stop being so damn stubborn and just talk to Mamoru, and she was glad she gave in. 

Mamoru smiled. "I should thank Chibi Usa then, shouldn't I?" 

"Yes, you should! You're lucky that girl loves you." 

"Extremely. She's a great kid. She'll grow up to be wonderful. As long as she doesn't turn out like you--" Usagi didn't let him finish his sentence by kicking him in the thigh with her foot. Flinching, Mamoru rubbed his leg. "It was a joke."

"Better be," she threatened. 

"Anyways," he quickly tried to return to the subject. "You have any idea who those people are after your sister?" 

'A lot more than you think,' Usagi thought. "Well, if they are after my sister, I won't let them touch a single hair on her," she vowed as Mamoru turned his head towards her direction. He had the most serious look on his face right now. It kind of worried her. 

"They could be after you, too. You could be the 'Rabbit' they're looking for," he replied solemnly. He was staring her down as if the top 100 killers in the world were after her! It wasn't creeping her out or anything, it just... weird to see Mamoru so concerned for her. Didn't he say just yesterday he thought she could take care of herself? Mamoru was more confusing than an English dictionary. 

"Well, if they are, I think I'm okay. I can take care of myself, right?" She asked, hoping he'd ease up a little bit. Deep down she had hoped those people weren't after her. She already had enough with the youma's, and this Princess they were looking for. She didn't need a bunch of psycho ladies after her. 

"Ahh," he grunted, and nodded slightly. He turned his face away from her, focusing his attention on a single point on the wall across from him. Feeling something touch her, Usagi was surprised to see Mamoru unconsciously rubbing her ankle with his thumb. What surprised her the most was, well, she liked it.

"So Mamoru," she began, hoping that he wouldn't notice her red face. "tell me about your sister. I never knew you had one!" Although he didn't turn his head, his eyes moved towards her direction, and looked at her as if she was the biggest idiot in the world. "You know, your sister? That girl, in that photo. She's your sister, right?" She asked, pointing at the picture frame beside him. Mamoru turned his head, and looked at the picture. 

Now what happened next was incredibly odd. Instead of him going, 'Ohhh, her! Yeah, she's my sister,' Mamoru remained silent while looking at the family portrait. Usagi studied his face, and frowned. His expression looked so lonesome. Did she bring up something she shouldn't have? "Umm, Mamoru, if you don't want to talk about her, that's--"

"Not by blood," he interrupted.

"Eh?"

"She's not my technical sister, but she could be considered one," he explained, and returned to gazing at the spot on the wall. "I was taken care of by her parents when I was a kid. I don't consider as my sister, though." 

Usagi's eyes widened slightly. Mamoru was adopted? What happened to his parents? She shouldn't ask. He looked so sad right now. She'd never seen him like this before. "Yeah, they didn't really look like you. She's very pretty. What's her name?" 

"Kusaka. Kusaka... Hina." 

"Ahh. What a pretty name! Can I meet her one day? You met my sister, I think I should meet yours!" She exclaimed, and sat up. "It's not fair that you and Chibi Usa get to plot against me and I have no one to plot with," she said, while pouting. Mamoru glanced at her, and smiled slightly. 

"Maybe. Anyways," he paused to pat her slightly on the ankle. "We better get going now. I'll go get your uniform." 

"Mm. Thanks." Usagi watched as Mamoru got up, and disappeared through the hallways. Frowning, Usagi sighed. He seemed so eager to stop talking about that Hina girl. 'I wonder why? Did something bad happen in his past?' Why did she want to know so badly? Since when did Mamoru's life story seem so interesting to her? Since when did she start caring about him? Usagi shook her head. 'No, I've always cared about him... I just well, never knew.' 

Gently brushing her lips with her fingers, memories of Mamoru almost kissing her flashed through her mind. What would have happened if he really did kiss her? Why was he going to kiss her, anyways? They both had managed to act like nothing had happened, but she couldn't help but think about it. Was he going to kiss her or not? 

"Something wrong?" Mamoru asked, as he returned with her uniform in hand. Shaking her head, Usagi looked up at Mamoru. 

"No, I just... had a strange thought." 

"Oh? What's that?" He asked. 

'Should I ask him? Should I?' Hesitating, Usagi nervously looked to the side as she fumbled for the words. If Mamoru wasn't intending on kissing her and it was a figment of her imagination, oh boy, would all hell break loose then. 'Make it seem like you THINK he wasn't going to.' "I... was just remembering yesterday before that lady attacked us," Usagi started, and nervously looked down at her lap. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mamoru's leg twitch. 

"R-R-eally?" He asked. Usagi was confused. Did he just stutter?

"Yeah... I just thought... it sounds stupid, but I thought that you had tried to kiss me..." Usagi shut her eyes, after saying that. 'Kyaa! I can't believe I said it!!' "A stupid thought, right?" She half asked, half nervous laughter. She had expected Mamoru laugh along with her, but he did no such thing. In fact, he just stood there, looking down at her, with the blankest expression on his face. Usagi's laughter died out uncomfortably. His lack of reaction was worrying her. 'You mean, he actually WAS trying to?!' "Mamoru... were you going to kiss me?" She asked and looked up at him. Their eyes met for a few seconds, before Mamoru looked away.

"I won't lie to you, Usagi. If that girl didn't come out and attack us, I would have kissed you," he stated. Usagi's eyes grew into two HUGE circles. Her face immediately grew red hot like a teapot, as Mamoru's words ran through her mind. There was no way she could misinterpret that. Mamoru was going to kiss her! Some part of her was glad that they were attacked, but a very large part of her wanted to beat the crap out of that woman. "But it wasn't like I was planning on kissing you then. It was a heat of the moment type of thing." 

"Eh?" Usagi asked. "'Heat of the moment?'"

"Yeah. Just got caught up in the moment. The rain, the closeness, the heat... it could have happened to anyone. It didn't mean anything other then the fact that our hormones are incredibly high at the moment," he explained, and sat on the couch arm next to Usagi. Handing the uniform to her, Mamoru motioned for her to take it. Unable to look at him right now, Usagi kept her head low as she accepted her clothing.

She felt like the stupidest person alive. She knew Mamoru had no real reason to kiss her, yet when she heard him actually SAY it to her, it hurt. 'Why should it hurt me? I'm glad we didn't kiss. It would ruin everything. Besides, I don't even like him that way!' Trying to conceal the sadness she was feeling, Usagi plastered on a smile, and looked up at Mamoru. "Right. Good thing we didn't kiss, right? That would have been weird!" And with that, she sat up, and began to walk towards the bathroom. Before she reached the hallway, Usagi stopped and spun around. "Oh, I'll return your shirt tomorrow or something." 

Mamoru looked back at her, and shook her head. "No, it's okay. You can keep it. Looks good on you, anyways," he complimented. Usagi blushed, and turned on her heal towards the bathroom. The moment she entered, she closed the door behind her, and rested her weary head against it. 

As much as she wanted to, she couldn't ignore that hurt feeling in her heart. What did this mean? She WANTED Mamoru to kiss her?! She wanted him? Then that meant... she liked Mamoru? 'No, that can't be true. I don't like Mamoru! I like... Tuxedo Kamen! I'm just acting silly.' As she began to unbutton the buttons to the long white shirt, Usagi paused as her nose picked up his scent through his shirt. Sighing, Usagi took a deep whiff of it. 'Mamoru, what are you doing to me?'

----

Minutes later, Usagi stepped out of the bathroom fully clothed in her Juuban uniform, while holding onto the white shirt Mamoru had given her. Closing the door behind her, she made her way into the living room where he had been patiently waiting. "Ready!" she informed. Mamoru nodded and got off the couch. 

They made their way out of his apartment building to the parking lot where his bike rested. Usagi watched shyly as Mamoru swung his leg over the motorbike. She wasn't actually going to get on the bike, was she? Then that would me she had to.. had to... 'Oh, quit being a baby. You just spent the whole frigging night in his bed with him!' Really, holding onto his waist should be a snap. Right?

Placing his helmet on, Mamoru reached back and grabbed the other white helmet and handed it to her. Usagi looked at the helmet, then at Mamoru, the helmet, then at Mamoru... "Anytime now," he teased. 

"I'm just not sure if I should put my precious life in your hands. I've never seen you ride a bike before." Ironically, she took the helmet from his hands and placed it on. Swinging her leg over, she sat behind him. "Alright, let's go!" 

He chuckled. "You do know you have to hold onto me, right? Unless you want to fall off." 

Usagi hung her head in embarrassment. "Oh, right! I forgot." She was acting silly! It was like Mamoru was some kind of disease, and if she touched him she would contract it. After hesitating for a few more seconds, Usagi mustered up the last of her courage and wrapped her arms around his waist, clasping together at his front. "There? Is that okay?" She asked. Oddly, Mamoru didn't reply for a few seconds. In fact, the moment she wrapped his arms around him, he grew as stiff as a statue. Was she holding on too tight? "Am I holding on too tight?"

"N-no..." he replied. "It's... just right." 

Usagi smiled. 'Just right, eh?' 

The engine started, and within a few seconds, they were speeding down the road towards the direction of her house. Usagi now understood why Mamoru had this bike. This feeling was great! The wind blowing in your hair, the sun shining down on you, the sight of the scenery zooming by you... it was all very surreal. If she was old enough to own a bike, she'd get one and ride it all day! 

That was a lie. She was afraid of riding motorbikes. Perhaps the reason why she felt so safe and secure was because of the person driving it... Jerk or not, she felt safe around Mamoru. The world could be collapsing underneath her right now, but as long as she held onto him, she wouldn't care. 'Since when did it come to be like this?' The one person who annoyed the hell out of her, ended up being the one person who could make her feel like there were no worries in the world. 'How ironic.' 

Suddenly, she felt a slight vibration in her pocket. 'It's my phone!' She couldn't grab for it, otherwise she would endanger herself in falling. They'd have to stop. Lucky for her, this was the exact moment Mamoru reached a red light. Quickly, she grabbed her phone from her pocket and answered it. "Moshi moshi?" 

"Usagi-chan!" The voice on the other line was Luna's, and when it was Luna who phoned her, it was obviously because something was wrong. "There's trouble! A youma is attacking at Ichinohashi park!" 

Usagi's eyes widened. Why would the youma attack there? It was closed because of the recent disappearances. "Hai. I'll be right there." Closing her phone, she placed it back in her pocket. She needed Mamoru to drop her off at the park, but it'd be suspicious if she asked him to leave her at the place where Berthier attacked her. However, she needed to get there as soon as possible. Hopefully Mamoru wouldn't suspect anything. "Mamoru?" She asked. 

"Yeah?"

"That was my mom. She's waiting for me at Ichinohashi park. Could you drop me off there?" She hoped and prayed Mamoru wouldn't be suspicious and ask her. Lucky for her, he didn't.

"Sure." The light turned green, and the bike sped forward. 

'Hold on minna... I'll be there in a while!'

----

Mamoru watched as Usagi waved goodbye and ran off towards the park. The moment she picked up that phone, Mamoru knew that it was her friends asking for help. Why else would Usagi want to go back to the park where she was almost killed? He didn't want to give her any heck. She sounded like she really needed to get there. 'I really should follow her. I really should.' He knew Usagi was capable of taking care of herself, and with the help of the Sailor Senshi, that youma was practically dead in a few minutes. 

It didn't make sense, anyways. The park was closed due to the disappearance of all those people and Bethier, so why would the youma decide to attack here? There wasn't anyone there, meaning no energy for them to take. 'Unless, this was a trap?' Mamoru hesitated for a few more minutes, before hopping off his bike and running after Usagi. Midway through, he transformed into Tuxedo Kamen, and continued running after Usagi. 

Minutes later, sounds of a battle were heard. Straight ahead were the Senshi and one odd looking youma. He remained hidden behind a tree. He wasn't going to interfere with the battle, but if Sailormoon needed his help, he'd intervene. Oddly enough, all of the Senshi were there, even Sailor V. His eyes narrowed behind his mask at the blonde. Memories of their clash at the jewelry store came back to him. It seemed so long ago since then...

Suddenly, some kind of high pitched noise rang through his ears. Throwing his hands up to them to cover it, he couldn't help but flinch at the sound. Where in the world was it coming from? From behind the tree, he saw it was the youma screeching that horrendous noise from it's mouth. 'What the hell--' Then, he heard a high pitched scream followed by voices yelling "Sailormoon!" His eyes quickly darted to the blonde hero, and gasped when he saw her collapse to the ground. Instinct took over him as his legs began to move on their own towards the fallen hero. 

"Sailormoon!" he shouted, as he caught up to her. The rest of the senshi were being attacked by what looked to be odd music notes, and were unable to tend to her. He watched as Usagi clutched her stomach and began to cry in pain. What was happening? Falling to his knees as well, he grabbed a hold of her shoulders. "Sailormoon!" he called again. Weakly, her head slowly rose to look up at him. 

"T-tuxedo... Kamen...?" It killed him the way she looked right now. All he could was watch in horror as Sailormoon cried in pain. What was happening to her?! 

"What happened, Sailormoon?!" He frantically asked. His heart was going a million miles an hour. He hated not being able to do anything. He hated to just stand by and watch her suffer. His eyes widened when Sailormoon's cry of pains increased. "Hang in there, Sailormoon!" From the corner of his eye, he saw Sailor V collapse as well. The other girls were fine, except Sailormoon and Sailor V. Was the Dark Kingdom targeting them? He clenched his teeth in anger. He'd kill whoever was doing this to Sailormoon... 

"It hurts... stop the music... stop the sound... stop!!" 

"What music? There's no music. Sailormoon!" He shook her again so that she wouldn't fall unconscious. "Hang in there!" Looking around, he saw that the soldiers weren't having that much luck with the youma. This youma was stronger than he thought. The only person who could destroy it was on the brink of passing out from pain. 

She screamed again. God, he hated hearing her scream. He hated hearing her in pain. He hated seeing her in pain. He hated this! "Sailormoon... I'm sorry I can't do anything... I'm sorry I couldn't protect you..." And then, she did the most odd thing. She smiled at him. He could feel his heart soar at that smile. Anyone who was able to smile like right now had to be some kind of super hero. And that's what Sailormoon was. She was a fighter. 

But even fighters have to give up now and then. Sailormoon's eyes closed, and her body began to fall forwards. Tuxedo Kamen's arms instinctively wrapped around her. He shook her hard, not wanting her to fall asleep. "Sailormoon! Wake up! Wake up!! You're not going to give up like this. I'm not letting you! You're the only one who can defeat the youma. You have to get up and fight!" 

Luckily, his shakings prevented her from falling unconscious, but she was close to it. "Tuxedo Kamen.." 

"Don't give up. The senshi need your help. Hang in there! I'll help you, don't worry. Don't let this youma beat you. You have to fight. Come on Sailormoon, you can do it!" 

Sailormoon winced as she looked up at him with the most confused look. "You'll... help.. me?"

Nodding, Tuxedo Kamen smiled at her. "That's what I do," he said. Sailormoon smiled weakly at him, as his words began to finally sink in. She began to slowly get up, using him as a brace. She struggled to stand straight, but Sailormoon was a fighter. He knew she could do this. He believed in her. He believed she could do it. With her back facing him, he held on tightly to her shoulders, just in case she decided to fall back. Tuxedo Kamen watched as Sailormoon summoned her moonlight stick, and held it firmly in her hands. "You can do it Sailormoon. I believe in you."

"If you believe I can do it, then I can," she spoke, and held her arms forward. 

"Sailormoon!" Sailormars yelled, relieved to see her friend was okay. Tuxedo Kamen looked over to the side and saw Sailormercury tending to Sailor V. If the three attacked at the same time, then it might just work. As if they had heard his thoughts, Sailormars began to summon her attack, with Sailorjupiter falling behind her. Soon, a pink light shone around Sailormoon's wand as she began to concentrate her powers into the wand. 

"Moon... twilight... Flash!"

"Youma... taisan!"

"Supreme, Thunder!" Attacking from three points, the fire, lightning and pink energy shot out from their respective soldiers towards the youma. He feel Sailormoon struggle, but he knew she'd hang in there. The youma resisted for the longest time, until finally it gave in and exploded into tiny bits. Sailormoon's eyes widened, completely amazed at her own strength. Tuxedo Kamen, however, was not surprised. "You did it, Sailormoon!"

"I did... Hey! The pain is gone!" She exclaimed, spinning around to face him. She was smiling again, which lit up Tuxedo Kamen's now calm heart. "Thanks Tuxedo Kamen, I wouldn't have done this if it weren't for--Sailor V!!" Sailormoon exclaimed, running past Tuxedo Kamen towards her fallen comrade. He followed her with his eyes, a little disappointed that she couldn't have waited until she finished her sentence. "Sailor V, are you okay?" She asked. 

"I'm fine... how are you feeling?" Sailor V asked. Sailormoon nodded. 

"Why was the youma attacking you two?" Sailorjupiter asked. 

"That youma was designed to attack... princesses." Sailor V explained. Tuxedo Kamen along with the other girls gasped at what she had just said. Attacking princesses? Then that meant... 

"Princesses? They why was Sailormoon in pain?" Sailormars asked. It didn't make sense. If Sailor V was the princess, then why was Sailormoon attacked? "Then does that mean...?" 

Knowing she had been caught, Sailor V nodded. Standing up, she turned around so she faced the four girls. "Yes. I am the Princess." 

The girls gasped again. Sailor V was the Princess? SHE was the Princess he was looking for? Then she must have the Ginzuishou! But before anyone could ask, an ominous laughter was heard from behind. They all turned around, and gasped again. 

A woman with long curly red hair in a dark purple dress appeared before them in a menacing manner. The soldiers immediately ran in front of Sailor V, ready to protect her from whomever this woman was. "Are you Sailormoon?" The woman asked. 

"Who are you?!" Sailorjupiter demanded.

"You don't remember me, do you? I guess I've changed since then. You Sailor Senshi have changed as well..." 

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sailormars asked. The woman laughed. Tuxedo Kamen looked at the redhead with confused eyes. For some odd reason, she seemed so familiar to him, but he had never seen her before in his life.

"I am Queen Beryl, queen of the Dark Kingdom!" Queen Beryl announced. Tuxedo Kamen's eyes widened. That name sounded incredibly familiar...

"Queen... Beryl?" Sailormoon asked. 

"You're all pieces of wreckage from the fallen Moon Kingdom. You should be sleeping quietly, together with your wretched princess of the Moon Kingdom! It's too late, however. I'll present you with a great, dark blessing onto your princess!! Destruction!!" She then threw her head back laughing with an evil manner, before disappearing before their eyes. 

"What was she talking about? Moon Kingdom? Was she talking about the Earth's moon?" Sailormercury asked, looking up at Sailor V. The blonde looked away slightly, before returning her gaze back at the blue haired soldier. "Sailor V.. are you the... princess of...?"

Knowing there was no way out of this, she sighed in defeat. Tuxedo Kamen could tell that she didn't want it to end up like this. "It's true. I am the Princess of the Moon. You four are the soldiers of the moon who protected me," she explained. 

The girls were all shocked at what they just heard. It was a lot to take in for Tuxedo Kamen, but he couldn't imagine how the others were feeling. Actually, he didn't really care. The only person he cared about right now was how Sailormoon was feeling. If she came from the Moon, then that meant her parents weren't really her parents. God, that would kill her! 

His eyes immediately flew towards her, and flinched when he saw her face. She looked like she was on the verge of tears. She must have been thinking exactly what he was thinking. "Ne.. if we come from the Moon... then does that mean I'm not my mother's daughter?" Her voice was incredibly shaky at that point. God, how he just wanted to reach out and hold her right now. 

The girl's had no response to her question. If they were from the Moon like Sailor V had told them, that meant they weren't the real daughters of their parents. Not wanting to face the truth, Sailormoon spun on her heal and ran. Tuxedo Kamen wasted no time in following her. Sailorjupiter was ready to stop him, before Sailor V stopped her. 

"Don't. I've tried to separate those two... but destiny can't be changed," she informed. 

"Destiny? Change? What are you talking about?"

Sailor V sighed. "She's safe. As for you all.. I have so much to tell you..."

----


	10. How many Princesses are there!

**Le Lapin Le Plus Rose  
**Written by: Neeko

**Author's Notes**: I try not to do monthly updates (because they bug the heck out of me when authors do that, especially on cliffhangers!) but I blame it on school. Hopefully I'll get to update more now that summer is here!

---  
Chapter 10  
_How many Princesses are there?!_  
---

["You four are the soldiers of the moon who protected me."]

'Sailor V... is our Princess. The Princess of the Moon. The Princess that we've all been looking for. I should be ecstatic and happy... yet all I can think about is...'

["Ne.. if we come from the Moon... then does that mean I'm not my mother's daughter?"]

'It can't be... I didn't come from my mom? I have a different mom, somewhere out there? My parents.. family... they're not really my... not my...' Usagi's hands clutched at her dark blue skirt, fighting back the tears that were begging to fall from her eyes. Sitting on a bench at a somewhat nearby park, she had taken a few minutes to catch her breath from running away from her friends and Tuxedo Kamen. She didn't know what came over her. She just felt her heart collapse and the urge to run. The cries and pleas from her friends zoomed past over her as she ran further and further away.

'Stupid! Sailor V was probably going to tell them more... yet all you can do is think about yourself!' Her body had betrayed her as tiny droplets of water fell from her eyes. Eyes widening at her own weakness, Usagi tried to stop them, but they just kept trickling down her face. "Baka... Baka baka baka baka!" she cursed, annoyed that she just couldn't stop crying.

Suddenly, a hand clamped onto her shoulder, as a tall, dark figure hovered above her. "Hey, that's my line," the familiar, low pitched voice spoke to her from behind the bench. Usagi jumped, startled by the surprise, and raised her head to look up at the figure. Her eyes grew wide in horror as the familiar visage of Chiba Mamoru came into focus. Was that Mamoru? How in the world did he find her? Didn't he go home?

Usagi watched as Mamoru walked around the bench and sat down next to her. Hoping he hadn't seen her moment of weakness, she quickly rubbed away the tears on her cheeks. However, what she couldn't hide were her red, puffy, marshmallow-y eyes. Immediately, Mamoru reacted to this by clutching onto her shoulder again. "Usagi, what happ--"

"Nothing!" she shouted, purposely interrupting him. She couldn't let Mamoru know she was crying. Mamoru would be the last person she'd let see her cry. Especially over such a silly thing. He'd tease her endless if he found out why she was crying. "Something got caught in my eye, that's all," she fibbed. It was a horrible lie, she knew that, but sometimes Mamoru was smart, and he knew not to pry.

This time, he pried.

"Liar," he retorted in a cold tone. Usagi frowned slightly, wondering why it was always Mamoru who was able to see past her veil. Still avoiding his gaze, she stared at the ground, focusing on some nearby grass. "Something happened, didn't it?" he pried once more. Frustrated at his stubbornness, Usagi gritted her teeth. Just when did this boy ever give up?

"How'd you get here, anyways?" she asked, hoping to derail him from asking again. Instead of some more prying, Mamoru played along with her little game, for the moment. He released his grip on her shoulder, and his hand fell to his lap.

"Had some stuff to do," he replied. "I thought I saw you running away crying. I guess I was a little worried because I didn't see your mom around." Gasping sharply at the mention of her mother, Usagi clutched tightly to her skirt, hoping that maybe those blasted tears wouldn't decide to come out.

'Don't cry now, just don't... please...' However, two tiny droplets dropped from her eyes onto her hands. Gasping, Usagi immediately tried to rub them away, but Mamoru had caught her. He reached out and grabbed her wrist roughly, pulling her towards him.

"You're crying!" He yelled angrily at her. Usagi bit her lip, knowing there was no use trying to cover it up. She wanted to hit herself hard for being so careless in front of Mamoru. Ripping her wrist away from his grasp, Usagi rubbed her tears away again.

"So what if I am?! A girl can cry, you know! That's what we do! We're weak... and helpless... and we cry and--"

"You're not weak or helpless," Mamoru corrected, while looking into her eyes. Usagi blushed slightly as his gaze pierced into her like an arrow. His eyes looked so caring, so loving... and so.. beautiful. She was mesmerized by them. Did he really think she wasn't weak or helpless? As he sighed, his caring gaze vanished, being replaced by frustrated and impatient eyes. "Just tell me what's wrong, Usagi," he demanded, tightening his grip on her wrist. Honestly, Usagi was a little frightened by him right now. Did he really want to know about her problems? Did it really matter to him? She was not sure whether Mamoru was the right person to talk to about these things. What could she say anyways? 'Yeah, I was born on a moon. I'm not the daughter of my real mom. I protect the Moon Princess. I'm not crazy, really, I'm not.' As great as a guy Mamoru could be, this may not be the best topic to dump on him. "What's it about? Your parents?" he asked again.

Knowing the best way to stop him from bombarding her with more questions was to just shut him down completely. Ripping her wrist away from his grasp, Usagi looked at him with a cold, hard angry stare. "It's none of your business!" she yelled at him. Really, it wasn't. He had no right to pry like that, no right! Yet when her gaze found his eyes, she gasped when he saw how completely hurt and shocked Mamoru looked. Guilt hitting her like a plague, Usagi wondered why did she have to say it so harshly. No, she wondered why Mamoru looked so hurt about it. Just as she was moments away from apologizing, Mamoru nodded and smiled weakly at Usagi.

"You're right. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have butted in," he replied solemnly. He surprised Usagi completely by saying that. She was expecting him to put up a fight, as hypocritical as that sounds. Keeping her angry facade, Usagi closed her eyes and raised her chin in the air, folding her arms across her chest.

"Good," she muttered. After a few seconds, Usagi opened her eyes as she felt the weight of the bench change, and turned her head to see Mamoru had stood up. He turned his back to her and began to walk away. 'Good! He should leave. Stupid prying... jerk...' Knowing the insults wouldn't stop the guilt, Usagi shook her head. It was _she _who was acting like the jerk. Mamoru was just concerned about her, yet all she did was talk rudely to him. Especially after last night when...

Letting her head fall back on the bench, Usagi blinked her eyes as she felt a droplet of water fall onto them. Wincing up at the sky, her face was then greeted with even more droplets of water, and soon a whole bunch of them began to fall onto her. 'It's raining?!' In fact, it started pouring. In just a matter of minutes, she would have been soaked. Yet she sat there, not even bothering to lift a finger. She felt the rain begin to soak her bangs, her hair, her skin, and her clothes. She felt too sad and guilty to get up right now.

Suddenly, the noise of a motor pulling up nearby rang through her ears. Head turning to the side, Usagi squinted when she saw a man on a very familiar looking motorbike was meters away from her. The man reached out from behind him and held out a white helmet, motioning for her to take it. There was no doubt in her mind that it was Mamoru. Why did he come back for her after the way she talked to him? It didn't make sense. The Mamoru she knew would have taken off in a gist of anger, and brood until there was no tomorrow. Usagi looked at him, bewildered and confused. "Mamoru, why--"

"It's raining." It was his turn to do the interrupting. Knowing she deserved it, Usagi took the blow. "Now get on."

"But... your bike will get rusty, and--"

"Does it look like I care?" He asked with frustration clearly echoing in his voice. "Now get on," he repeated. For some odd and possibly sick reason, Usagi's heart fluttered at his words. There was something about Mamoru, that no matter what, he would always bring a smile upon her face one way or another. Even through the darkest times.

Nodding, Usagi got up from her seat, and ran over to him. Placing on the helmet, she hopped on the back of his bike. This time, she eagerly wrapped her arms around his waist, and held him close.

As the engine roared and they zoomed off onto the road, Usagi smiled happily. She was wrong earlier. _This _was the Mamoru she knew.

---

In a matter of minutes, Mamoru pulled up in front of the Tsukino house. Her ride had come to an abrupt end. Releasing her grip around his waist, Usagi felt a little bad because she knew that his bike would probably get a little rusty from the rain. Pulling off her helmet, Usagi got off the bike and handed it him. "Thank you," she shyly thanked.

"Anytime," he replied. "Oh, here." Usagi watched as he reached into his jacket, and pulled out a folded white shirt. "You forgot this when you ran off," he explained while handing it to her. "Err, unless you don't want it anymore--"

"No!" She quickly replied, and snatched it from his grasp. Realizing the silliness of her actions, she looked at the ground embarrassed. "I mean... yeah, I still want it. Thanks. I guess it must have slipped my mind." As it started to get wet from her clothes and the rain, memories of the previous night flashed through her mind. "Hey, Mamoru! It's the second time we're both soaking wet in the rain," she reminded, giggling.

"Just hope it doesn't end up the same way," he replied. An innocent phrase misinterpreted wrongly by Usagi. She felt her face heat up as she remembered the attempted kiss, and hid it behind the shirt in her arms. Still, even after he explained why he did it, it still made her as embarrassed as ever.

"R-right..." She nervously nodded, moving a piece of hair behind her ear.

"So, are you feeling better now?" he asked. At first not getting what he meant, Usagi gasped afterwards. It had just hit her; Mamoru had just made her forget about her troubles. At that moment, she didn't even _think_ about her family problems. How was Mamoru able to do that? To make her forget it all, just for a matter of minutes? Thinking that he was prying again, Mamoru shook his head. "Never mind, I shouldn't have--"

"No!" Shaking her head, Usagi hit her head with a fist gently. "Yeah, I'm feeling a bit better. That bike ride was great. Really takes your minds of things."

"Yeah. It does. Glad you're feeling better. Anyways, I better go before this rain kills my poor bike."

'He's leaving?' For some reason she didn't want Mamoru to leave so suddenly. Maybe it was because she felt bad for treating him like dirt that she didn't want him to leave like this. Or maybe it was some other reason... not caring which one it was, Usagi took a step forward. "Wait! Err... do you want to come in for a while?" she asked, as Mamoru glanced at her with a confused look. "It's raining pretty hard. Maybe it'll stop after a while?" she suggested, waiting for his reaction. He remained silent for a few moments, so Usagi tried again. "A-and... I want to apologize. For snapping at you today, especially after you were so kind to me this morni--" Immediately stopping before she embarrassed herself again, Usagi was surprised to see Mamoru react similarly through the corner of her eye. Which made her smile slightly. Again, he was silent, so Usagi pulled out the last of her guns. "We can put your bike in my garage so it won't get wet."

That reeled him in like a fish. "Sure, I guess."

After Usagi led his precious bike into the garage, they both entered her house. "Mama, Papa! Shingo! Anyone here?" she yelled throughout the halls. It was the afternoon, and no one was home. 'That's... odd.' "Mou, where could they be?" she thought out loud, while taking off her shoes.

"Weren't you just with them?" Mamoru asked, with an odd tone in his voice. She could have sworn she heard him snicker. Eyes widening at her stupid slip up, she burst out in a nervous laughter, hoping it'd hide her mess up. "Oh! Well... uhh, I was, but... they had to leave for a bit, and... yeah!"

She watched as he nodded his head in a very _amused_ manner. "Ah, really?" he asked, chuckling. "Then what's the point of yelling for them when you already know where they--"

"Ne, Mamoru, do you want something to drink?" Usagi immediately spoke up, hoping that the subject would change. Honestly, it totally passed her mind that she told Mamoru that she was with her mother. 'Baka! Think twice before you speak!' Looking up underneath her eyelashes at Mamoru, she was confused when he looked utterly, utterly amused. 'What's with that look on his face?' Did he enjoy tormenting her _that _much?

"I'm fine. Don't know if my stomach could survive another one of your creations," he joked, while taking off his jacket. In return, he received a punch to the arm. "Ow!" he complained, rubbing his arm. "It was a joke, Usagi."

"Better be," she threatened. Walking towards the kitchen, she motioned for him to take a seat at the dining table. "I'll go make some tea." While waiting patiently for the water to boil, she grabbed a few dirty cups and began to wash in the sink. Occasionally, she'd take a sneak peak at Mr. Chiba beneath her eyelids. She watched as walked around the room, looking at random objects around the room. 'Wow, nice to know he listened to me.' Oddly for some reason, it felt really nice to have Mamoru in her house. Again. And again. And again. Blushing, she looked away and was relieved to see the water had started boiling. Last thing she needed was for Mamoru to see her blushing. Oh, the teasing would never end.

After the cups were clean, Usagi turned the tap off to stop the water. Just as she was about to reach for a cloth, Mamoru appeared in front of her, with an object in his hand. "Hey, Usagi, is this you?" He asked, while pointing to the object. Usagi looked up at him, and gasped.

It was a family picture, taken a long time ago when Shingo was only a month or two. Her father, her mother, her brother and herself smiled proudly as they posed in their kimonos. 'I remember that. we were on vacation... a family vacation.... My family...' Biting back the tears, Usagi hung her head. '...it's all a lie.'

Overwhelmed by the sudden sadness, her fingers involuntarily released its hold on the two cups, which then went crashing to the bottom of the sink. Mamoru looked at her in horror as the cups smashed into little pieces. "Usagi! What--"

It took a moment for Usagi to register what had happened. Looking down at the bottom of the sink through blurry eyes, she quickly rubbed them before the tears fell. "Oh... I dropped the..." Quickly scrambling to pick up the pieces, she picked them up too quickly, and cut herself on a piece. "Ita!" she hissed, pulling her hand back.

"Usagi!" Mamoru yelled, and instantly ran to her aid. Grabbing her wrist, he examined the wound. "Damnit. Where's your first aid kit?" He asked. For some reason, the blood didn't matter to her. The pain in her hand was nothing compared to the pain in her heart. Frustrated by Usagi's lack of response, Mamoru grabbed her other wrist and pulled her towards the stairs. "Keep it elevated, Usagi!" he ordered, going as fast as he could. Dragging her up them, they finally reached the bathroom where Mamoru began to search for the kit. "You're so clumsy, Usagi."

Usagi remained silent, just starring at the blood that began to form in her hand. Memories of her family, every single moment she could remember, flashed through her mind. Little did she know she was never truly apart of them.

Moments later, not being able to find the first aid kid, Mamoru scrimmaged to find some cloths to stop the bleeding. Grabbing one, he took a hold of Usagi's wrist and began to wrap the cloth around. It wasn't until the blood began to seep through the cloth that Usagi realized she had cut herself deep. "We have to get you to the hospital, Usagi. You're going to need stitches." Tugging at her wrist, Usagi remained still. "Usagi!"

If she were to go to the hospital, her family would be there... how... how could she face them now? Knowing... knowing that... Shaking her head, Usagi pulled her wrist away from him. "I can't. I can't..." she replied, while turning her back to him. She walked to her room, with him following behind her shortly. Sitting on her bed, Usagi stared down at her wrist. The cloth was almost soaked in her crimson blood.

"Baka! If you don't close up that wound, you're going to lose a lot of blood! Why don't you want to go to the hospital?!" he yelled at her, while standing in front of her.

"Because I can't, alright!!!!" she screamed, and shot her head up to look at him. At that moment, Mamoru looked as if his cat died. His eyes widened, eyebrows raised, mouth opened... he looked... surprised. Then she realized she was crying. 'Damnit..!!' Quickly rubbing away the tears with her sleeve, Usagi brought her head back down, not wanting to look at him right now. "You... you weren't supposed to see... to see me..."

There was a moment of silence, on Mamoru's part, at least. Her protective dam had broken again, and she started to cry. Emotions built up inside her just started to pour out with each wail, tear and cry she let out. She didn't want to cry in front of Mamoru, but now that he had already seen...

She felt the weight of the bed change, as Mamoru sat himself next to her. Taking a hold of her injured hand, he began to carefully untie the bloody cloth. "Ma... wha... what are you--"

He didn't say anything, and neither did Usagi, after that. She watched as he took the cloth off her hand, and placed it face up so the wound was facing him. Usagi flinched at the sight of it. She really _did_ cut it deep. Mamoru then placed his hand over hers, and one under it. Confused, she was just about to ask what he was doing, when it hit her.

A warm sensation ran throughout her body, as Mamoru's hands began to glow with a bright, golden light. Closing her eyes, Usagi let the emotions and sensations travel all throughout her body. 'Was this Mamoru's life force?' It felt so... loving, caring, gentle... she could stay here forever, and she wouldn't mind. "Mamoru..." she whispered.

The light disappeared, as well as the warmth. Usagi slowly opened her eyes, and looked down at their hands. Removing the one on top of hers, Usagi gasped. She looked at Mamoru frantically. "How.. you... it..." Her cut had completely healed. There wasn't even a scar! Not one single trace.

"There you go," he spoke, not removing the hand under hers, which held on protectively. Usagi stared at him, dumbfounded. Mamoru... had powers? When.. how... "A trick I learned. Don't know how... I was just born with it."

"You.. you can heal things?!" Maybe Mamoru was a soldier too? Not a sailor senshi... but... just a senshi? Maybe he was from the Moon too? Could he be somehow connected to them? No normal person could have been born with this amazing ability.

"Yeah..." Suddenly, Mamoru's face clenched, as he grabbed his forehead in pain. Usagi placed her hands on his arm, and leaned in closer.

"Mamoru! Are you alright?!" She asked. He nodded weakly. "Here, lie down..." Standing up, she motioned him to lie down. She was surprised he actually agreed to it. Mamoru Chiba, lying down in a pink bed? No way. "I'll get you a warm cloth!" Turning on her heel, she made her way to the bathroom. Grabbing a nearby face towel, she put it under warm water. Ringing it out, she returned to her room, and walked over to the bed. Going on her knees, she carefully brushed his bangs out of the way, and began to dab his forehead with the cloth. Mamoru glanced at her briefly and smiled weakly.

There was a moment of silence between the two, but they never took their eyes off each other. She could get lost in his gaze forever. His eyes always pulled her in like a whirlpool. After a few minutes, Mamoru finally broke the ice.

"Usagi..." he began. "I'm about to tell you something that I've never told a soul. Not even Motoki," he replied. Curious as to what it was, she gazed futher into his eyes, seeing nothing but complete trust in them. He was about to tell her an important secret...

"Okay..." Closing his eyes briefly, he re opened them and began to stare intently at the ceiling.

"My parents died when I was in a car accident when I was 6," he began. Usagi gasped at what he had just said. Why... why was he telling her this? And how... his... his parents died...?! Looking at him as he spoke, she could sense the pain and remorse in his voice. It pained her to see him like this.

"Mamoru..."

"I couldn't remember who I was. I didn't even know my name until they told me. But most of all, I lost the memory of who my parents were. I couldn't even recognize a picture of them. Yeah, I was adopted after, but my _real_ parents? I had no idea who they were."

"I'm... so sorry..." Really, what else could she say after that? She never knew this about Mamoru. Her heart cried for him. It really hurt her to know that he went through all that. It was like... she felt his pain.

"I was adopted afterwards, and grew up with two parents that cared and loved for me deeply. I guess the point I'm trying to make is, even though they weren't my real parents, I loved them as if they were."

Usagi closed her eyes briefly, soaking in Mamoru's words into her mind and heart. 'Love them as if they were?' And as always, Mamoru was right. Having an epiphany, she realized that she was being stupid. Making such a big deal over something that she should be grateful for! Yeah, her family may not be her biological family, but they were her family when it counted. When she was sad, when she was happy, when she was angry, they were always there for her. And that's all that matters, right? 'God... why didn't I realize that before? I'm so stupid...' She needed Mamoru to remind her of this? Something she _already_ knew, but was too stubborn to find out herself?

She was happy that Mamoru had told her this. But how did he know she was having the same crisis? Did he even know? "Why... why did you tell me this, Mamoru?" she asked. Mamoru turned his head towards her, and smiled.

"Don't know. Maybe it's 'cause I'm a little out of it because of healing your hand... but... I felt like telling you that. I wanted you to know that about me. Don't ask me why..."

He wanted her to know? Blushing, Usagi smiled, holding a hand to her chest. "Thank you, Mamoru," she replied.

There was another moment of silence. Usagi placed the cloth on his forehead, and watched as he closed his eyes. Healing her must have really taken a lot out of him. Does it use his energy as a source? Sighing, she sat against the bed, and leaned her head back on the matress. Maybe this was a good thing to talk with Mamoru about. She didn't have to tell him the exact details, but enough to satisfy his curiosity. He practically went through everything she is going throught right now. There wasn't anyone more perfect to talk to abou tit.

"Ne.. Mamoru..." she began. "I found out today that my parents aren't my real parents... and my brother really isn't my real brother... but that's only biologically. You made me realize--no... you helped me remember that when it really counted, they're my true family. I couldn't ask for anyone else. I don't know why I forgot that..."

Silence, again. Mamoru replied shortly after. "Why'd you tell me that?"

Turning her head back, she smiled at Mamoru. "I felt like telling you." Mamoru opened his eyes briefly at her, and smiled back. Closing his eyes again, his hand slowly drifted near Usagi's shoulder. Usagi looked at it, and smiled. Grabbing hold of it with hers, Usagi closed her eyes as well. "Thank you, Mamoru."

----

After an hour and a half passed, Usagi watched from the door frame as Mamoru got on his bike and sped away. The rain had stopped, and the sun began to peak out from the clouds. Mamoru had regained his strength, and decided it was a good time to go. Sighing, Usagi solemnly closed the door behind her, and rested against it. Mamoru had come to her rescue, yet again. She felt really embarrassed that she needed his help to recall something that she _already_ knew, but it didn't matter anymore. All that mattered was she loved her family, and they loved her. It didn't matter if she came from them or not.

Since when had she and Mamoru become such good friends? Good enough that they would call each other by first name basis? Wasn't it just a week ago that she hated him? Despised him? Loathed him? And now she... she... 'I... I really don't know what I feel for him right now.' She didn't hate him, that's for sure.

Plopping herself down on the couch, she leaned her head back and closed her eyes. "Mamoru..." she thought out loud. She remembered him holding her hand and healing her cut. How did he get such a power like that? The feeling was amazing; it was as if nothing mattered except that moment. She also remembered him telling her about his parents. 'He didn't tell _anyone_ but me that story...' It made her feel rather special, like she held his little secret in her hands, and that he would trust her with such a sensitive subject.

ding, dong

Usagi sat up when she heard the door bell ring. "Mamoru?" she called instinctively. 'Maybe he forgot something!' Rushing to the door, she swung it open, expecting to see the tall man again.

Instead, it was someone else. Someone even better. "Mama!!" Usagi exclaimed, and threw her arms around her. "Welcome home!"

"Usagi! Are you alright? Are you sick?!" Ikuko asked, concerned. Shaking her head, Usagi smiled and looked up at her.

"I'm fine. I just wanted to hug you, mama..." This was, and always would be her family.

"Aww, Usagi... come come, let's get inside." Usagi released her hold on her mother, as she walked past her. "I'm glad you're alright! Chibi Usa-chan gave me a huge fright this morning! I felt my heart jump!" Ikuko exclaimed, tapping on her chest. Usagi stood there, dumbfounded.

"Chibi Usa-chan? Did something happen?"

Ikuko frowned, as she shrugged her jacket off. "She just started screaming in pain this morning. We don't know what happened. She just kept crying and crying... and then all of a sudden, it stopped. To make sure, Papa and I took her to the hospital."

Usagi's eyes grew wide in shock. 'It can't be!! Could Chibi Usa-chan have been affected by that youma as well? Then that means... Chibi Usa... Chibi Usa is.... _a princess_?' Then why was she affected by the youma? 'Could that mean I'm a princess, too?' Startled, Usagi jumped as she heard the door open. Turning around, she was surprised to see her father walk in with a sleeping Chibi Usa on his back. "Chibi Usa!" Usagi cried, and ran towards her. Her father carefully placed the child in Usagi's arms. "Is she... is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine. Doctors didn't know what it was. Nothing was wrong with her. She just collapsed and..." Shaking his head, Kenji took off his jacket. "Put her upstairs. She just needs rest."

"Okay." As she walked towards the stairs, Usagi looked at Chibi Usa and frowned. 'Chibi Usa-chan... are you are princess? And if you aren't... who are you?'

---

She had never seen anything so frightening before in her life. Never had she seen so much anger, disappointment, and annoyance come from such a small person, if that's what she should call it. The way its eyes narrowed into tiny slits sent shivers down her spine. The way its teeth grinded against each other. The way its nails dug into the table beneath it. It frightened every single part of her body.

Who would have thought a plushy could hold such negative emotions?

"Gomen gomen gomen gomen gomen gomen gomen...." Usagi pleaded mercy to the purple feline. Luna looked as if she was going to _kill _her. All because she was late. She wasn't _that_ late.

"You better have a good reason, Usagi!" Luna scolded, raising its paw at her. Usagi bit her lip, and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Luna never called her 'Usagi.' Boy, she must have been really angry.

Her reason was good! It was such a good reason, that if you looked in the book of world records for best reason, it would totally beat it. "Well, you see... I had to buy yarn."

Remember how Luna looked before, and how she thought that was the scariest thing she had ever seen? Scratch that. The look Luna was giving her now was no doubt the scariest and most frightening thing she had ever seen. Dark Kingdom? Psh, that was the least of her worries. Angry, purple feline cat was number one on the top of her Danger list. "You had... to buy... YARN?!!"

Usagi ducked under the table, hoping to hide from Luna's wrath. Really, it wasn't her fault. Her sewing teacher assigned them a muffler project, and because Usagi was so dedicated to school, she rushed after school to get the yarn so she could work on it as soon as she could.

["I want you to imagine the person you're making this for in your mind. Perhaps your parents, friends, boyfriend, or crush?"]

The moment her teacher told the class that, Usagi immediately knew who she was going to make the muffler for. 'Tuxedo Kamen, of course!' Who else would she make it for? Oddly enough, Mamoru had popped into her mind, but she quickly shook that idea out. 'Make a muffler for Mamoru? Hah! That would mean I like him. Which isn't true. Not the least bit! My heart is only for Tuxedo Kamen!'

Ironically, Tuxedo Kamen had not entered her mind in the past few days until that very moment. It was mostly Mamoru she was thinking about...

Shaking her head, Usagi quickly made her way to the nearest crafts store to purchase the yarn. She avoided Makoto and Ami, knowing they would not approve of her crush over Tuxedo Kamen. She had to be quick, because Luna called a Senshi meeting at the Crown right after school. Normally this would take, what, five minutes? It took her an hour.

["Blue?" Usagi asked out loud, and imagined placing a blue muffler around Tuxedo Kamen. Shaking her head at the clashing colours, she immediately placed the yarn down.] Usagi wouldn't be surprised if she went through the entire store. It wasn't till the very end that she found a cream coloured yarn. Imagining placing that around Tuxedo Kamen's neck brought a smile to her face.

Which was then replaced with an 'I'm so Dead!' look when she saw what time it was. Running as fast as she could to the Crown, she collapsed in the secret meeting room out of breath, only to be greeted by the wrath of Luna.

"Ne, Luna, it was for a school project! I just... didn't think it'd take that long!" Usagi tried reasoning, as she peeked up from underneath the table. Luna gave one hard look at her, before shaking her head.

"Fine. Just don't let it happen again! Today is a very important meeting. The Princess told us many things yesterday that you need to know." Relieved that Luna had given her mercy, Usagi slowly pulled up the chair behind her and sat down. Her comrades, Rei, Makoto and Ami returned to their seats as well, after hiding from the fearful plushy.

"Well, after you ran off, Sailor V told us a few things about us as Sailor Senshi, and the youma," Ami shyly spoke up.

["As for you all... I have so much to tell you..." Sailor V closed her eyes, and brought her hand to her red mask. Pulling it off, her body began to glow a bright yellow light. As the light died down, her fuku had been replaced with what looked to be an orange version of the senshi fuku. On her head was a crystal tiara, and shining brightly on her forehead was the crescent moon.

Luna gasped. "The birthmark of the Moon!"

"That's right, Luna," remarked a nearby voice. From behind the Princess appeared a white feline, smiling. Luna gasped.

"Artemis!"

Artemis nodded. "Luna. I'd like to present to you girls the Silver Millennium's princess, heir to the Illusionary Silver Crystal, Sailor Venus!"

"Sailor... venus?" Sailorjupiter asked, tilting her head slightly. Sailorvenus nodded.

"Sorry to have kept it from you for so long. I wanted to wait until you all had fully awakened, but with the appearance of the new enemy, I felt now was the perfect time. You, as senshi, must awaken your full potential powers in order to defeat both enemies."

Sailormars' eyes grew. "What?! Two? Since when did we have two?!"

Sailorvenus sighed, and shook her head. "Honestly, I don't know. I didn't see it coming. These people with the black moon on their foreheads... aren't the ones we are supposed to be facing. As of now, none of you are capable of taking them on," she explained with remorse in her voice. "You all must fight the fears and weaknesses in your hearts in order to bring out your true powers. If you don't... then we've already lost."]

Usagi bit her lip, as the words began to sink in. So much pressure was placed on their shoulders. What should have been a happy moment in finding their princess just ended up being more of a burden. So it was true; they now had two enemies to deal with. Is that why Chibi Usa is here? Perhaps she's the Princess of another world where those enemies are from? "That would make sense..." Usagi thought out loud.

"Hmm? What would?" Ami asked.

"Huh? Oh... well, remember that youma? Apparently Chibi Usa-chan was affected by it as well," Usagi explained.

"I saw on the news that Princesses all over the world had collapsed that morning," Makoto informed. "Wait... does that mean... Chibi Usa-chan is a princess?!"

Usagi shrugged and sighed. "I don't know. If that were true, wouldn't that make me a Princess as well? I was affected by it, wasn't I?"

Luna shook her head. "The Princess explained it to us yesterday."

["The youma was targeting Princess. Naturally, I was affected, but the reason why Sailormoon was affected was because in your past life, you guarded the palace as if it were your life. You all were so close to me, that we were almost like sisters. The reason why it affected her and not you three was because Sailormoon is growing closer and closer to fully awakening."]

She was the closest to awakening?! Usagi's face lit up. "I'm the closest? Cool... never would have thought that. Probably because I was the first one found, ne?"

Luna nodded. "However, that doesn't explain Chibi Usa's case. Chibi Usa-chan could very well be a Princess. Whether or not she's ours, we can't be sure." Sighing in frustration, Luna hung her head low. "Things are so complicated now."

Patting the feline on the head, Usagi grinned. "Don't worry Luna! We'll just protect them both!"

Rei shook her head. "She doesn't want us protecting her."

["I have a mission on my own as the princess. Don't worry, I'll be fine. Just protect the Earth from the enemies."]

"What?!" Usagi complained, and rested her head on the table. "But... wasn't protecting her our mission? It doesn't make sense... why would she distance herself from us like that? She said it herself; we were like sisters! It doesn't make any sense."

Ami nodded. "None of it does, anymore."

Usagi closed her eyes and sighed. First things first: she needed to awaken, help Chibi Usa, protect the Princess, defeat the Dark Kingdom, defeat the other enemy, save the Earth and most importantly...

...knit that damned muffler.

'So many things to do, so little time...'

----

"We've managed to insert 3 pairs of dark crystal into her." A green haired woman explained, as she bowed.

"Excellent," Prince Demand smirked as he leaned back into his chair. "After four, she should break. If not, we'll just have to give her more dark energy. Then, she will lead us to the Rabbit and the Ginzuishou."

The woman smiled evilly. "I will get right on to it, Prince Demand," she confirmed and disappeared. Chuckling to himself, he began to shake the red wine in his cup slightly.

"I always get what I want. Everything."


End file.
